Biography
In Her Own Voice
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800+
Paintings
40+
Years
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In the Circle
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Verónica Ruiz de Velasco occupies a distinguished place in contemporary Latin American art — recognized for a painterly language that fuses neo-figuration, lyrical abstraction, and a profoundly emotional chromatic sensibility.
Over a career spanning more than four decades, she has established a body of work notable for both technical innovation and poetic force.
Lineage
Born in Mexico City and shaped by the rich traditions of Mexican modernism, she emerged internationally as one of the youngest female artists ever to present a solo exhibition at the Museo de Arte Moderno — positioned within a lineage associated with Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Rufino Tamayo. Her formative years were shaped through the rare mentorship of Tamayo and Gilberto Aceves Navarro — whose influence informed, yet never overshadowed, a distinctly original visual vocabulary.
The Work
Her paintings are celebrated for their radiant palette, gestural energy, and theatrical movement. Drawing from ballet, music, spirituality, florals, and the natural world, her compositions inhabit a territory where figuration dissolves into emotional abstraction. Her works often transform color into choreography — balancing expressive spontaneity with structural sophistication.Recognition
Her career includes significant institutional exhibitions, monumental commissions, and international cultural recognition — from the ABC Medical Center mural inaugurated in the presence of King Charles III, to commissions connected with figures such as Bill Clinton, and the Nancy & Jake Hamon Collection. In 2010, she was selected among a small group of artists representing Mexico at the FIFA World Cup, extending her cultural presence onto a global stage.The Gallery
Gallery Verónica Ruiz de Velasco opened in November 2020 at 313 Worth Avenue in Palm Beach — among the most prestigious gallery streets in South Florida — as the first physical space dedicated exclusively to her work. The space presents a curated rotation of museum-quality paintings, private viewings by appointment, and seasonal salons for collectors of the Circle.
Visit
Directions
313 Worth Avenue
Hours vary
Palm Beach, Florida
Hours of Operation
Open daily · 11am–5pm
except on Holidays
Closed Mondays, June – October
Career Retrospective
Four decades, in milestones.Formation · Mexico City
1982 – 1985
1982
First documented painting
Created in London, after transitioning from modeling to painting.
1984
Debut at Galería Lourdes Chumacero
Mexico City debut. Tamayo, Gilberto Aceves Navarro, Teódulo Rómulo, and Thomas Parra all attended the opening.
1984
Paris — Jean Dubuffet
Traveled to Paris to discuss technique with the French painter and sculptor.
1985
Studio of Rufino Tamayo
Invited for private lessons. Tamayo: "an excellent Color — I have not seen anyone with such an eye for color before."
1985 – 1988
Mentorship of Gilberto Aceves Navarro
Three years of intensive private instruction; her most important teacher. Concurrent studies at La Esmeralda and the Academia de San Carlos.
Breakthrough
1986 – 1989
1986
"Fantasmas de Otoño"
Salón de Sorteos, Lotería Nacional, Paseo de la Reforma. More than 35 oil paintings. Covered by El Sol de México, El Nacional, and Cine Mundial.
1987
"Escrúpulos de Color"
Galería Metropolitana, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM). Painting, collage, and mixed techniques.
1988
Museo de Arte Moderno — "Tras Bambalinas"
Youngest female artist to hold a solo exhibition at Mexico’s national museum of modern art. Nineteen paintings — a complete homage to Andrew Lloyd Webber.
1988
Benito Juárez International Airport
Concurrent monumental exhibition: life-size ballet and modern dance — Le Sacre du Printemps, Swan Lake, Le Spectre de la Rose, and Medea (after Martha Graham).
1989
ABC Medical Center Mural
15m × 3m, one year of seven-hour days. Inaugurated by U.S. Ambassador Charles J. Pilliod Jr. Prince Charles visited days later: "Wonderful."
1989
Museo de Arte Moderno · 25th Anniversary
"Homage to Swan Lake" exhibited alongside Diego Rivera, Rufino Tamayo, and Frida Kahlo.
International Recognition
1991 – 1996
1992
U.S. Embassy advocacy
Cultural Affairs Officer John P. Dwyer wrote to DePaul University proposing an American exhibition — describing the work as having "very high quality" and predicting it would be "a big hit in the U.S."
1995
VISUAL Revista de Arte cover
No. 50 — multi-page essay by Hernández Lara, "Verónica Ruiz de Velasco: Expresión sin Límite."
1996
Portrait of President Clinton
Personal letter of thanks received January 31, 1997: "Hillary joins me in sending best wishes."
1996
Move to Dallas, Texas
Relocated September 1996, opening a new chapter on American soil.
Dallas Period
1997 – 2009
1997
"Love Paradise" Mural
3m × 4m, Nancy & Jake L. Hamon Biomedical Research Building, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. Inaugurated by Nancy Hamon and Dr. Kern Wildenthal.
1997
Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber
Letter of acknowledgment from his office — direct recognition from the composer whose work inspired Tras Bambalinas.
1997
Nordstrom · ¡Celebración!
Hispanic Heritage Month — Westin Galleria Ballroom, Dallas. Over 600 attendees; several hundred autographs signed.
1997 – 1999
"Love on Ice"
Reproduced in McGraw-Hill algebra textbooks distributed across 100+ markets.
2003
Beaty Early Childhood School
Two donated murals, Plano, Texas.
2005
Dallas–Fort Worth International
Full-size painted airplane suspended from the ceiling of the new International Terminal.
2007
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Cover commission, Sept/Oct issue — the issue received the National Magazine Award for General Excellence.
2009
FIFA World Cup, South Africa
Selected as one of a small group of Mexican artists to create a painting representing Mexico at the 2010 tournament.
Palm Beach & Beyond
2013 – 2024
2013
"Woman in Art"
Included in Reinhard Fuchs’ international art-historical survey of 512 female artists across six centuries.
2019
Online gallery launched
veronicaruizdevelasco.com — her works made available for viewing.
2020
Worth Avenue Gallery opens
Gallery Verónica Ruiz de Velasco at 313 Worth Avenue, Palm Beach — first physical space exclusively dedicated to her work.
2021
Judge Jeanine Pirro · Palm Beach ▶
Visited the gallery November 14; interview posted to Instagram. Featured on artnews Instagram in May.
2022
Fox News · "The Five"
Pirro displayed and discussed her commissioned portrait of three dogs — introducing the work to a television audience.
2023
Salon at the Louvre
Salon international d’art Contemporain, Paris — March 31 to April 2.
2023
WPTV / NBC Sunshine Spotlight ▶
Television feature describing her as "a pioneer for women in art."
2024
Hamptons Fine Art Fair
Spotlight Artist, Booth 210 — July 11–14.
Often associated with the great expressive traditions of Mexican painting while advancing a contemporary vision entirely her own, her oeuvre is marked by joy, transcendence, and emotional immediacy.
Her paintings do not merely depict beauty —
they generate it as lived experience.
Today
Through Gallery Verónica Ruiz de Velasco on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, her work continues to engage collectors and institutions internationally — affirming her legacy as one of the notable voices in contemporary Mexican art.In Their Words
“These paintings of performers in action are highly stylized and almost abstract.”
John Shown
The News, Mexico City
Nov 1988 — review of "Tras Bambalinas" at Museo de Arte Moderno
“An excellent Color. I have not seen anyone with such an eye for color before.”
Rufino Tamayo
Private studio, Mexico City
1985
“Wonderful!”
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales
ABC Medical Center mural inauguration, Mexico City
1989
“Thank you so much for your beautiful painting. Hillary joins me in sending best wishes.”
President Bill Clinton
Personal letter to the artist
January 31, 1997
“A pioneer for women in art.”
WPTV / NBC Sunshine Spotlight
Television feature
2023
“Verónica Ruiz de Velasco: Expresión sin Límite.”
Hernández Lara, Leopoldo
VISUAL Revista de Arte, No. 50 — cover feature
January–February 1995