Julio Galán (December 5, 1958 – August 4, 2006) was a Mexican artist and architect. Galán was one of Latin America's neo-expressionist painters of the end of the last century and the beginning of this one. His paintings and collages are full of elements that usually represent his life. Biography Galán was born into a wealthy and conservative Roman Catholic family in Muzquiz, a northern Mexican mining town. As a child he attended private school in Monterrey, Mexico and later enrolled to study architecture at the University of Monterrey. Galán started his career in this town.
While in Mexico, Galán painted dresses for fashion designer Nicole Miller, who introduced him to Paige Powell. Powell worked for Andy Warhol at Interview magazine in New York. Warhol printed several of Galán's works in Interview, and shortly after Galán moved to New York City in 1984.
Powell organized two shows for the artist in New York City. His first New York show was scheduled to open at an Upper West Side apartment in June 1985 where Powell had previously organized a show, but it was canceled when the board of directors of the co-op building banned the exhibition. Mexican ambassador Joaquín Bernal allowed Powell to use the Consul General gallery in Midtown South for Galán's show. The opening of the exhibition coincided with the Mexico City earthquake on September 19, 1985.
Following that show, Galán participated in the exhibition Mexico, The New Generation at the San Antonio Museum of Art in San Antonio, Texas. In the fall of 1986, Powell organized another solo show for the Galán at art critic Edit DeAk's apartment in SoHo.
From 1980 to 1998, Galán was represented by art dealer Annina Nosei and he has various shows at her gallery in New York. He also had shows internationally, including the Gallerie Barbara Farber in Amsterdam and the Galleria Gian Enzo Sperone in Rome.
In 1994 he won the "Premio Marco" from the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Monterrey. That same year he exhibited at the Center for Fine Arts in Miami, Florida, the Museo de Arte Moderno in México City, and the Contemporary Art Museum of Houston, Texas.
Galán died on a plane that was taking him back to Monterrey after suffering a brain hemorrhage on August 4, 2006.Obituary in The New York Times
Selected solo exhibitions Galán had solo exhibitions at the following art institutions:
1980: Galeria Arte Actual Mexicano, Monterrey, Mexico 1982: Galeria Arte Actual Mexicano, Monterrey, Mexico 1982: Galeria Arvil, Mexico 1983: Galeria Arte Actual Mexicano, Monterrey, Mexico 1984: Galeria Uno, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico 1984: Galeria Clave, Guadalajara, Mexico 1985: Consulate General of Mexico, New York 1985: Art Mart Gallery, New York 1986: Barbara Farber Gallery, Amsterdam, Holland 1986: Edit DeAk's loft, New York, United States 1987: Museo de Monterrey, Mexico; Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico; MuseoRegional de Guadalajara, Mexico 1987: Annina Nosei Gallery, New York, United States 1988: Museo de Monterrey, Mexico 1988: Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico 1988: Galerie Barbara Farber, Amsterdam, Holland 1989: Annina Nosei Gallery, New York, United States 1990: Annina Nosei Gallery, New York, United States 1990: Galleria Gian Enzo Sperone, Rome, Italy 1990: Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam, Holland 1990: Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City, Mexico 1991: Milagros Gallery, San Antonio, Texas, United States 1992: Annina Nosei Gallery, New York, United States 1992: Galerie Barbara Faber, Amsterdam, Holland 1992: Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Holland 1992: Pabellón Mudéjar, Seville, Spain 1993: Dark Music, Pittsburg Center for the Arts, Pittsburg. United States 1994: Contemporary Art Museum, Houston, Texas, United States 1994: Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Monterrey, Mexico 1994: Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City, Mexico 1994: Center for the Fine Arts, Miami, United States 1995: Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France 1996: Barbara Farber Gallery, Amsterdam, Holland 1996: Annina Nosei Gallery, New York, United States 1997: Oro Poderoso, Galeria Ramis Barquet N.Y. at Robert Miller Gallery, New York, United States 1998: Enrique Guerrero, Mexico 1998: Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France 2001: My Mirrors, Robert Miller Gallery, New York, United States 2007: Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey (MARCO), Monterrey, México.https://web.archive.org/web/20071015032032/http://www.marco.org.mx/exposiciones.htm 2008: Museo Amparo, Puebla, México 2008: Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso, Ciudad de México, México.Julio Galán: Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso. Gómez, Edward M. Art in America. Feb2009, Vol. 97 Issue 2, p140-141. 2p. 2023: Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey (MARCO), Monterrey, México.
References
External links
Julio_Galán on Artist-Info Julio Galán on Encyclopædia Britannica del Conde, Teresa. "Julio Galán." La Jornada, July 23, 2002.