Mexican sculptor Ana Pellicer, renowned for crafting jewelry for the Statue of Liberty, passes away at 79 years old.
Mexican Sculptor Ana Pellicer Passes Away at 79
Renowned Mexican sculptor Ana Pellicer, celebrated for her copper creations and the intricate adornments she designed for the Statue of Liberty, has died at 79. The news of her death was announced earlier this week by Mexico's culture ministry, without specifying a cause.
In the past decade, Pellicer has garnered international acclaim for the extraordinary jewelry she created for the renowned statue gifted by France to the United States in 1876. To celebrate the statue's 100th anniversary, Pellicer produced monumental amulets, necklaces, and more, exhibited as sculptures in their own right. These colossal pieces tower over viewers, stirring emotional responses through emblems of femininity.
Pellicer's worldwide recognition, however, didn't come until 2017, when her artwork was showcased at the Mexico City gallery House of Gaga. The following year, her work graced MoMA PS1 in New York as part of the "Body Armor" exhibition, featuring her three-story-tall necklace for Lady Liberty.
Born in Mexico City in 1946, Pellicer spent much of her career under the shadow of her husband, fellow sculptor James Metcalf. The pair collaborated extensively, with Pellicer's role occasionally overshadowed in the public domain.
For over a decade, starting in 1976, the collaborative duo trained female artisans in the Purépecha town of Santa Clara del Cobre, imparting ancient copper and craft techniques indigenous to the region. They established Centro de Acción Educativa, a learning center aimed at safeguarding age-old craftsmanship and promoting a strong connection between tradition and social justice in Mexico.
The training center was not without controversy, with Devon Van Houten Maldonado from Hyperallergic raising questions about the art's authenticity and the role of the artist in an idealist, constructivist project.
Pellicer's work, meanwhile, was devoted to resurrecting millennia-old mythologies, with notable contributions like recreating a large-scale sculptural interpretation of ancient ball games at New York's Lincoln Center in 1992.
Expressing condolences, the culture ministry stated, "Ana Pellicer's contributions have strengthened folk art and transformed the relationship between art, tradition, and social justice in Mexico."
- Ana Pellicer's artwork was exhibited at the House of Gaga gallery in Mexico City in 2017, which showcased her work to a wider audience.
- In 2018, Pellicer's work was featured at MoMA PS1 in New York as part of the "Body Armor" exhibition, featuring a three-story-tall necklace for the Statue of Liberty.
- Pellicer's sculptures often incorporated elements of contemporary art, science, and health-and-wellness, such as in her large-scale sculptural interpretation of ancient ball games.
- Beyond her sculptures, Pellicer also played a significant role in preserving traditional craftsmanship in Mexico, training female artisans in copper techniques and promoting social justice through her collaborative work with her husband.
