Pedro Linares López

1906–1992

A man in a brimmed hat holds a paper mache skulls in his hand

Pedro Linares was a cartonería (papier-mâché like) artist best known for having created Alebrijes (fantastical or mythical creatures). Alebrijes have become world known, and are now exemplary of Mexican folk art. The alebrijes are cardboard and wheatpaste sculptures that reimagine colorful creatures he had envisioned in his feverish dream in the early 1950s. These works now bridge the worlds of fine art and folk art.