Born in Mexico City in, Gerardo Bravo is a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans painting, sculpture, and installation. Dividing his time between his home town and Washington D.C. He studied at the San Carlos national academy of arts UNAM. Mexico City (1994–1999), beginning his career as a painter to explore themes of existence through abstract and organic shapes. His oil-on-canvas works, often characterized by dark tones, evoke a profound sense of introspection and solemnity.
The loss of his mother in 2006 marked a pivotal moment in his practice, leading him to expand into installations and works to encompass social themes he calls “Ofrendas a mi Madre.” In 2014, he incorporated ceramics into his practice, creating the series “Urnas vacias”. This project, which has since merged with his “Fossils” series, includes copper wire in his work to emphasize the enduring traces that define our contemporary world, further deepening his meditation on memory, grief, and resilience.
Bravo’s work has been exhibited in prominent institutions such as the Anahuacalli Museum in Mexico City, the Cultural Institutes of Mexico in Ottawa, San Francisco, and Miami, and the Rufino Tamayo Museum of Contemporary Art as part of the VIII Rufino Tamayo Biennial. His art is held in numerous public and private collections, including the World Bank in Washington D.C., the Mexican Embassy in Berlin, the Museum of Oaxacan Painters, the Ibero-American University in Mexico City, and the International Bank of Miami Florida.
Through abstraction, Gerardo Bravo creates works that invite the viewer to reflect on the deep connections between personal and collective experiences. His art bridges the gap between the past and the present as seen from somewhere in the future, offering a space for contemplation of the fragility of existence, the enduring power of memory, and the emotional imprints that define our shared humanity.
CV
Born in México City
Working between Mexico City and Washington DC.
Education and training:
2023-1: Curatorship, museography and exhibition management, UNAM, Mexico City.
2014 - 2015: Ceramics, with Master Alberto Díaz de Cossio, Mexico City.
1996 -1998: Painting techniques, with Master artist Luis Nishizawa, Toluca Mexico.
1998: Fresco painting workshop, Diego Rivera mural museum, Mexico City.
1994 -1999: San Carlos national academy of arts UNAM. Mexico City
Selected solo exhibitions:
2010 "Installation Offering to 72 migrants”, Azcapotzalco Regional Museum, México City.
2007 "Ofrendas a mi Madre, Calligraphic Privitivism”, Diego Rivera Anahuacalli
Museum, México City.
"Ofrendas a mi Madre, Calligraphic Privitivism", Heineman Myers Gallery,
Bethesda Maryland.
"Mandalas", Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library, Washington D.C.
2006 "The psalms, Calligraphic Privitivism", Cultural Institute of Mexico San Francisco,
U.S.A.
"The psalms, Calligraphic Privitivism", Cultural Institute of Mexico, Miami, FL, U.S.A.
2005 "The psalms, Calligraphic Privitivism", SCA. UNAM. Ottawa, Canada.
2004 "Guna mythology" Lithograph, Embassy of Panama, Mexico City.
2003 "Guna mythology" Lithograph, Union congress in Mexico City.
2002 "Guna mythology" Lithograph, Miguel Cabrera Gallery, Oaxaca City, Mexico.
1996 "Voices of the spirit" Oaxacan Institute of Cultures, Oaxaca City, Mexico.
Selected group exhibitions:
2024 “Art of memory” Brain Bridge Lab art contest, University of Chicago, IL. U.S.A.
2009 " 2009 SOMAAP Salon" Mexican Authors Society of the Arts, SGC of IP.
Exhibition hall Siglo XX1 Medical Center, Mexico City.
2004 “Master Leo Acosta Lithography workshop”, San Carlos Academy gallery, UNAM,
Mexico City.
2003 "Artists in residence" Museum of Mexico City, Museum, México City.
1998 “Man; figure, function and mystery” San Carlos Academy gallery, UNAM, México
City.
1996 “VIII Rufino Tamayo Biennial”, Rufino Tamayo Museum, México City.
1989 “Selected works national painting contest” French Alliance, Mexico City.
Selected collections:
Art Center, Nuevo León City, Monterrey. México.
Iberoamerican University, Santa Fe campus, México City
International Bank of Miami, Miami FL. U.S.A.
Mexican Embassy, Berlin Germany.
Museum of Oaxacan painters, Oaxaca City, Mexico.
Panamá Embassy, México City.
The world Bank, Washington D.C. U.S.A.
Gerardo Bravo features in various national and international private collections.
Selected awards, residencies & grants.
2022 Luxemburg art prize, (Recognition of high artistic quality), The Pinacotheque, private museum. 7 Rue Michel Rodange 2430 Luxembourg, Luxemburg.
1996 Rufino Tamayo VIII Biennial, (Selected art work), International contemporary art museum Rufino Tamayo, México City.
1989 National art contest (Selected work) Alliance Francaise, Mexico, commemoration for the bicentennial of the French Revolution, Mexico City.
Selected publications & press.
Espinosa Ricardo, "Gerardo Bravo exhibits pictorial work" El Sol de México newspaper, society section, August 5, 2007. p. 4D
Rolando Diez Laurini, "Medieval Influence", 10 talented Mexican architects, Architectural Digest Mexico magazine, volume 7, November 2006, p. 74-79.
Taracena Berta, "Aesthetics of Mexican Art in time" Thought and work, Chapter VII, Editorial los peñascales, S.A de C.V. 2006, p.311.
Tibol Raquel, “Rufino Tamayo VIII Biennial catalogue” International contemporary art museum Rufino Tamayo, 1996, p.21
Professional contributions:
2024 Apexart juror of international exhibition proposals.
2023 Exhibition curatorial team, “Gunadule. Women, textile cartographies and territorial knowledge,” UNAM/ National Museum of World Cultures in Mexico City.
2003-2006 Design and construction country family house in Mexico City.
2003 Showrooms design for Futon Tanoshii furniture stores in Mexico City.