Ximenez, Alfredo (1903-2000)

Born in Mexico, Ximenez studied at the Bellas Artes while supporting himself as a commercial artist. He immigrated to the US in 1923 and married the daughter of famous concert pianist Maria Carreras two years later. For a brief time Ximenez was the subject of tabloid fascination after her parents, he charged, tricked her into traveling to the US so as to marry a wealthier American (Davis). In 1930 he was working as a cartoonist in New York, then shortly after that must have moved west to pursue employment. As of 1935, Ximenez had been working four years as an animator in the Hollywood studio of Max Fleischer and was exploring the establishment of his own in Mexico (Motion Picture Daily 7 Aug. 1935: 10). Apparently this did not work out, because he exhibited his FAP-sponsored work was exhibited at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (1936) and an Associated American Artists traveling show during 1937. 4 more works at the National Gallery of Art. 1 more work at the Fine Art Museums of San Francisco. 1 more image at FAP.

Sources Consulted: Forrest Davis, “Parents Stole Bride, Says Artist” (New York Daily News 13 April 1928: 514).

Works in the New Deal Collection at GVCA by Alfredo Ximenez:

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The Ox Wagon, Mexico
The Ox Wagon, Mexico

One of several prints Ximenez created for the Associated American Artists gallery in New York, this artfully composed scene manages to fit several elements of Mexican culture into its frame. Upon cobblestone streets and against the wall of a building, a heavy wagon with wooden wheels carries a bundle of wood. It is pulled by two mottled oxen, driven by a man wearing a serape and sombrero. Although the serape’s bold design catches the eye, it’s only one of several patterns gathered here.

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