Soledad Acosta (Solitude lies down)

From the proofs "Hors de Commerce" number 17 of 25, aside from the total edition of 166. Hand signed, dated and numbered in pencil, lower right, "H.C. 17/25, Zuniga 1973." Published and printed by Editions Press, San Francisco. Catalogue reference: Brewster 6

Francisco Zúñiga (1912-1998) was born in Costa Rica. He spent his childhood in his father’s wood carving studio and studying drawing at the School of Fine Arts of San José.

In 1936, Zuniga expressed an interest to visit and study art in Europe but the Spanish Civil War thwarted his plans. Instead he moved to México and studied under Manuel Rodriguez Lozano. He also frequently visited Mexico City's old Anthropology Museum, becoming enchanted with the forms and style of the prehispanic sculptures featured there.

Zúñiga contributed to the stone sculptures of Oliverio Martinez in the "Monumento a la Revolución" in 1937. His talent and dedication were recognized and by 1938 he was hired as a faculty member at "La Esmeralda," the prestigious Mexican school of painting and sculpture of the National Institute of Fine Arts. Zúñiga created many monumental public works until 1970 when he began to dedicate more time and effort to his lithographs, drawings and sculptures.

Zúñiga's themes consist almost exclusively of young, mature and elderly female figures. He has described his work as "a continuous representation of femininity." Often the figures, regardless of their dimensions, represent women's powerful strength as matriarchs. He used the reboso (Mexican shawl) to generate his well-known pyramidal composition of southeastern Mexican females. Like no one else, he has captured and created the archetype of the women of southeastern México.