Olga Dondé facts for kids

Olga Dondé (born May 23, 1937 – died November 16, 2004) was a talented Mexican artist. She was famous for her beautiful still life paintings, which show everyday objects like fruit and flowers. Olga taught herself how to paint. After working on her art for two years, she decided to show her paintings in 1968. From then on, her art was shown in about 100 exhibitions, including more than 40 solo shows. These shows took place in Mexico, the United States, South America, and Europe. Olga Dondé also started art groups, an art gallery, and even a publishing company. Her work was recognized by important art groups like the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana. Even after her death, her art continues to be shown and celebrated.

Life of Olga Dondé

Olga Dondé was born in Campeche, a city in southern Mexico. When she was two years old, in 1939, her family moved to Mexico City. This was because the heat in Campeche was too much for her. Her family later settled permanently in Mexico City.

From a young age, Olga loved to draw and write poetry. In fifth grade, she created a very long map, about six meters (20 feet) long. This map was so good that other schools in Mexico City used it as an example!

When Olga was a teenager, her mother passed away. She got married soon after. However, her marriage didn't last, and she divorced in 1958. She had two young children. Olga then decided to become a painter. She tried to get into an art school but was not accepted. So, she chose to teach herself how to paint.

Besides painting, Olga worked on other projects to earn money. She planned to open an art gallery with her brother, but he died before they could. Later, she opened a gallery called "33" with a friend.

Later in her career, Olga traveled to Paris to learn a printing technique called lithography. She returned to Mexico City afterward. In 1977, she began building a house in Cuernavaca for her daughter and future grandchildren. This house was so special that it was featured in art and architecture magazines.

In the 1980s, Olga lived in Washington, D.C., in the United States. She moved back to Mexico City in 1990.

Throughout her life, Olga was part of many art and social groups. She even started some of them herself. She helped create the Museo Joaquín Clausell and the Cultural Center of Campeche in her hometown in 1987. She also worked to save the old walled city of Campeche. Olga also spoke at important events, like the Mexican and Central American Symposium on Women.

Even though she was known for her visual art, Olga also wrote poetry. Some of her poems were published in newspapers and magazines. In 1995, she wrote a book about her own life called La Soledad Fragmentada.

Olga lived in different places during her life, but she lived in Mexico City from 1990 until she passed away at age 67.

Olga Dondé's Art Career

After deciding to teach herself painting, Olga worked on her art for two years without showing it to anyone. In 1968, she entered a group art show called Exhibición Solar. Her work was accepted by everyone, making it her very first public exhibition.

Since then, Olga Dondé's art has been shown over 100 times. Forty-three of these were solo shows, meaning only her art was displayed. These shows happened in Mexico, the United States, South America, and Europe. Some famous places where her art was shown include the Pan American Union in Washington (1970), the San Antonio Museum of Art (1973), and the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City (1989). She also participated in art contests, like the first Biennial Exhibition of Tapestry in 1978.

Olga Dondé is best known as a painter. However, she also created many other types of art. She made engravings, lithographs (a type of print), sculptures, stained-glass windows, and tapestries. She even worked on architecture! Olga, along with other artists like Helen Escobedo, helped make "soft sculpture" popular in Mexico. These sculptures were made from materials like clay or plasticine. In 1974, she designed beautiful glass doors for a gallery in Mexico City. She also designed sets and costumes for two theater plays in 1975. In 1978, she worked with photographer Rogelio Naranjo on an art piece called Dynastic Shooting Ranch. She also designed album covers and even planned a restaurant.

Olga Dondé's art is part of the permanent collections in many museums around the world. Some of these include the Museo de Arte Moderno of Costa Rica, the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo in Bogota, and the Latin American Art Museum in Washington D.C. Her work is also in the Museo de Arte Moderno in Toluca and the Museo de la Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público in Mexico City.

As part of her career, Olga started several art groups. These included Artistas de los Insólitios in 1976 and the Foro de Arte Contemporáneo in 1978. She also founded the El Taller Gallery and Domés publishers. Later in her life, she served on many cultural and artistic committees.

Olga Dondé received many awards and honors for her work. She was included in various editions of Who’s Who in America. She became a member of the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana, an important art group. She also received an honorary doctorate and was named a distinguished citizen of Campeche in 1992. In art competitions, she won a "gran mención" (great mention) in Colombia in 1973 and an honorary mention in Bogota in 1989. After she passed away, her work continued to be honored with exhibitions and tributes, such as at the Festival de las Artes Visuales in Campeche in 2005.

Olga Dondé's Art Style

Olga Dondé showed her art in many of the same places as other famous artists of her time. However, she always kept her own unique style. She used many different techniques, but she was best known for her paintings and drawings of nature. She especially loved to paint fruit, flowers, vegetables, and roots.

Art critic Enrique F. Gual wrote that Olga's work has "a deep connection with surrealism." This means her art could take everyday objects and give them a special, dream-like quality. She was able to find a deeper meaning in her subjects, making her a unique artist in the world of Mexican still life painting.

See also

In Spanish: Olga Dondé para niños