Alebrijes – Mythical Monsters

Surreal creatures of dream, or nightmare, painted with extraordinary detail in eye-popping colors—alebrijes are one-of-a-kind sculptures; winged dragons, lion-faced butterflies, fish with horns and hoofs; chimera whose form is limited only by the imagination of the artist.

Alebrijes, both the word and the genre, were originally created by Pedro Linares (1906-1992) in Mexico City. Linares was a cartonero, who created piñatas and festival figures from cardboard and papier-mâché. According to legend, at the age of thirty he fell very ill and, close to death, had visions of strange and frightening creatures, some part human and part beast with diabolic features, others huge fierce animals of many colors. Upon recovery he began to recreate the creatures which had haunted his feverish dreams in papier-mâché, resplendent in all their psychedelic colors and bizarre details, even though he thought that they were too ugly for anyone to buy.

Linares was wrong; people not only bought them, but they drew wide acclaim and a recognized place in Mexico’s rich lexicon of folk art. His three sons and three grandsons followed him in the art of cartonería, creating their own singular styles of alebrijes. Over the years the sculptures evolved; techniques became more refined, the painting more intricate and the features even wilder and more fanciful than the originals. The Linares’ alebrijes have been in exhibited in museums and galleries across North America and Europe and are avidly sought by collectors the world over. They have also inspired artists and artisans throughout Mexico, who have created their own interpretations of Pedro Linares visions.

In Oaxaca, where the tradition of wood carving is centuries old, a talented craftsman, by the name of Manuel Jiménez, created the first wooden alebrijes. Taking his inspiration from the Linares’ paper fantasies, he carved mythical, whimsical animals from copal wood that also garnered world attention and praise. These, in turn, spawned a new genre of folkart and inspired other artists to create their own distinctive carving and painting styles.

Today, the alebrije continues to fascinate and enchant artists who create their own ‘fanciful monsters’ in more forms and mediums than Pedro Linares ever dreamt of.