Prieto, Miguel | Colección

20th Century Spanish

Miguel Prieto, fondly remembered for his likeable character, began his artistic career as a sculptor and enrolled at the San Fernando Academy in Madrid at a time of intense political activity. He joined the Communist Party, took part in the pedagogic missions organised by the Spanish Republic, created popular stage designs for García Lorca and collaborated in Republican propaganda bodies (Octubre, founded by Rafael Alberti). At the end of the Spanish Civil War he went into exile in Mexico where, as happened with many of his fellow countrymen, his career took off.

In the sixteen years he spent in Mexico, from 1939 to his death in 1956, Prieto unintentionally laid the foundations of graphic design in the country’s cultural publications. In this relatively brief span, he produced an exemplary body of work that would prove instrumental for the promotion and popularisation of Mexican art. He left an indelible mark, now “long-lasting lessons” in the words of his disciple Vicente Rojo (1932-2021) who was equally generous in mentoring many pupils who are now accomplished design professionals.

Raquel Tibol underlines Prieto’s many facets—painter, drawing artist, illustrator, stage designer and teacher—and the major work he did in promoting and disseminating Mexican art. In addition, he also made a significant contribution as a typographer and graphic designer, a sphere in which his innovative approach would prove influential for future generations. He was responsible for reintroducing drop caps, the use of colour, the increased size of illustration, the combination of roman and italics in catalogues, invitations, posters and books for the newly created Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, for the Sunday supplement México en la Cultura edited by Fernando Benítez, for the Novedades newspaper for which he invented a “slightly baroque, highly elegant format” and for the magazines México en el arte and Universidad de México.