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Roger von Gunten, Pioneering Ruptura Artist Who Made Mexico His Home, Dies at 92

A Swiss-born cornerstone of the Generación de la Ruptura leaves a celebrated body of vivid work recognized by Mexico's leading cultural institutions.

Overview

  • Mexico’s Culture Ministry and the national arts institute reported his death at his Tepoztlán home in the early hours of Wednesday at age 92.
  • His longtime companion, Rosa Velasco, said he deteriorated after a fall about three weeks earlier and died without pain.
  • A home wake in Tepoztlán is planned and his remains will be cremated, with the final disposition yet to be decided.
  • Identified with the Generación de la Ruptura, he worked across painting, printmaking and scenography, taught for more than four decades, and presented over 120 solo and about 200 group exhibitions.
  • He studied under Johannes Itten in Zürich, settled in Mexico in 1957, became a Mexican citizen in 1980, and earned the Medalla Bellas Artes in 2014, with a public homage held in Cuernavaca on January 29.