# Electa Arenal > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Electa_Arenal > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Electa_Arenal.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electa_Arenal > Source revision: 1336066171 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Electa Arenal**, born as **Elena Electa Arenal y Huerta,** (May 16, 1935 – June 12, 1969) was a Mexican artist, known best as a muralist painter, and sculptor.[1] ## Early life and education Elena Electa Arenal y Huerta was born on May 16, 1935, in [Mexico City](/source/Mexico_City), Mexico into a [Mexican Communist Party](/source/Mexican_Communist_Party) family, artist [Elena Huerta Muzquiz](/source/Elena_Huerta_Muzquiz) and Luis Leopoldo Arenal.[2][3] Her sister Sandra Arenal Huerta, was a known activist, feminist and writer.[4] Her mother was part of the [Taller de Gráfica Popular](/source/Taller_de_Gr%C3%A1fica_Popular) (English: "People's Graphic Workshop") and was within the Mexican artistic circle of the twentieth century.[5] As a child she lived between 1941 and 1945 (during a portion of [World War II](/source/World_War_II)) in the [Soviet Union](/source/Soviet_Union), along with her mother and sister, due to political reasons. The family returned to Mexico and Arenal entered school at [Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado](/source/Escuela_Nacional_de_Pintura,_Escultura_y_Grabado_%22La_Esmeralda%22) (also known as "La Esmeralda").[3] Later enrolling at [Academy of San Carlos](/source/Academy_of_San_Carlos).[3] She married architect Gustavo Vargas Escoboza (born 1927) and together they had two children.[6] ## Career and mid-life Arenal assisted her mother on frescoes painted at the [Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro](/source/Universidad_Aut%C3%B3noma_Agraria_Antonio_Narro) in Coahuila, Mexico and she assisted [Diego Rivera](/source/Diego_Rivera) on the exterior murals of the [Estadio Olímpico Universitario](/source/Estadio_Ol%C3%ADmpico_Universitario) (Olympic Stadium) and [Insurgentes Theater](/source/Teatro_de_los_Insurgentes) between 1952 and 1954.[1][7] In 1961, Arenal moved to [Holguín](/source/Holgu%C3%ADn), [Cuba](/source/Cuba) with her family, where she opened an artists workshop.[3] Some of her best known mural works are located in Cuba including, Canto a la Revolución (1962), Atomos y Niños (1963), Revolución Cubana (1965), Infancia (1963), Maternidad (1964) and Palomas (1965).[1][3][7] Electa did not sign her works.[6] Arenal returned to Mexico in 1965, and started working with artist [David Alfaro Siqueiros](/source/David_Alfaro_Siqueiros) mural team.[2][6] David Alfaro Siqueiros was Arenal's father's brother in law and her uncle.[2] ## Death and legacy She died on June 12, 1969, when she fell from a scaffold while assisting muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros in the making of the mural *Marcha de la Humanidad en la tierra y hacia el Cosmos* (English: "March of Humanity on Earth and towards the Cosmos") at [Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros](/source/Polyforum_Cultural_Siqueiros) in Mexico City.[1][2][3][8] In June 2019, the exhibition *Buscando a Electa* (English: "Looking for Electa") celebrated the 50th anniversary of Arenal's death, and was held at the Provincial Museum of History (Museo Provincial La Periquera), Holguin, Cuba.[9] ## Work This is a select list of her work found in Cuba. - *Canto a la Revolución* (1962), mural and facade, Raymundo Castro hospital, [Puerto Padre](/source/Puerto_Padre), Cuba[7] - *Atomos y Niños* (1963), [bas-relief](/source/Relief), Polyclinic of Velasco, Velasco, Cuba[9] - *Infancia* (1963), bas-relief, Manuel Díaz Legrá Polyclinic (Policlínico Manuel Díaz Legrá), Holguin, Cuba[9] - *El monumento a las Pascuas Sangrientas* (1963) at the "Forest of the Heroes", in the Plaza de la Revolucion de Holguín, Holguin, Cuba[9] - *Maternidad* (1964), Cuba - *Palomas* (1965), Cuba - *Revolución Cubana* (1965), Provincial Museum of History (Museo Provincial La Periquera), Holguin, Cuba[9] ## References 1. ["The Great Women of Muralism in Mexico"](https://web.archive.org/web/20210226182234/https://www.mexicanist.com/l/the-great-women-of-muralism-in-mexico/). *Mexicanist.com*. 2020-01-04. Archived from [the original](https://www.mexicanist.com/l/the-great-women-of-muralism-in-mexico/) on 2021-02-26. Retrieved 2020-01-10. 1. ["Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros, obra colectiva y multinacional"](https://www.excelsior.com.mx/expresiones/2014/05/20/960263) [Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros, collective and multinational work] (in Spanish). *Excélsior*. 2014-05-20. Retrieved 2020-01-11. 1. Heller, Jules & Heller, Nancy G. (2013). [*North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical Dictionary*](https://books.google.com/books?id=ReZkAgAAQBAJ&dq). Routledge. ISBN 9781135638894. 1. Franco Sáenz, Héctor & Cepeda Obregón, Martín (2012). [*Maestros de Nuevo León*](https://books.google.com/books?id=7mFH-IlIrI0C&dq). Nuevo León, Mexico: Editorial Fund of NL. pp. 88–89. ISBN 9786077577867. 1. *Mujeres del Salón de la Plástica Mexicana 1*. Mexico: Conaculta/INBA. 2014. pp. 90–91. ISBN 978-6076052556. 1. Pérez, Katherine. ["El escándalo sagrado del arte sin firmas"](http://www.ahora.cu/es/cultura/5239-el-escandalo-sagrado-del-arte-sin-firmas) (in es-es). *Ahora*. Retrieved 2020-01-11. 1. ["Huellas de la escultora mexicana Electa Arenal en Cuba"](https://www.dcubanos.com/sabiasque/huellas-de-la-escultora-mexicana-electa-arenal-en-cuba/) [Footprints of the Mexican sculptor Electa Arenal in Cuba] (in Spanish). *Sabías que*. 2019-03-20. Retrieved 2020-01-11. 1. Infante Fernández, Ania Delia (2019-06-09). ["Holguín seeks Electa Arenal"](http://www.radioangulo.cu/en/culture/238103-holguin-seeks-electa-arenal). *Radio Angulo*. Retrieved 2020-01-11. 1. Pena Pupo, Erian (2019). ["Electa reencontrada"](http://www.uneac.org.cu/noticias/electa-reencontrada) [Electa Rediscovered]. *Union De Escritores Y Artistas De Cuba (UNEAC)* --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Electa Arenal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electa_Arenal) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electa_Arenal?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.