The Cabañas Museum is hosting an exhibition showcasing the life and work of one of Guadalajara’s most iconic artists, Chucho Reyes Ferreira (1880-1977), perhaps known predominantly for his unique and colorful paintings inspired by this country’s folklore, usually executed on fragile crepe paper or papel china.
The son of a well-to-do Guadalajara art collector and antique dealer, Reyes worked at Casa Pellandini, an exclusive art materials store, where he used to wrap the purchases in crepe paper he hand-decorated himself. It wasn’t long before these creative wrappings became sought-after items in their own right.
His father died in 1911, leaving him the family home and a vast collection of art, handcrafts and antiques, and a passion for collecting that continued throughout Reyes’ life.
Reyes was especially drawn to handcrafts and folk art, and often visited the El Rincon del Diablo fireworks workshop to watch them paint the Judas figures and fireworks castillo frames. Self-taught, he never considered himself a proper “artist,” and said his technique consisted of “smearing” his colors onto surfaces rather than “painting” them.
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