GALÁN Julio

Julio Galán was a Mexican painter known for his Neo-Expressionist works filled with themes related to pre-Columbian cultures, homosexuality, and Roman Catholicism. His paintings were influenced by the self-analyzing themes found in the works of Frida Kahlo as well as his international peers Sigmar Polke and Francesco Clemente. Born on December 5, 1958 in Múzquiz, Mexico, he went on to study architecture at the University of Monterrey. Before finishing his degree, Galán left university to pursue his interest in painting, and moved to New York in 1984. Here, the artist’s work was discovered by Andy Warhol during his first show in New York at Art Mart Gallery. Warhol subsequently printed some of Galán’s works in Interview magazine, propelling him to success. By 1989, Gálan had become one of the most popular Mexican painters in the art world, and went on to be included in exhibitions at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Stedelijk Musuem in Amsterdam, and The Museum of Modern Art in New York. The artist died at the age of 46 on August 4, 2006 in Zacatecas, Mexico.