Miguel Covarrubias

Miguel Covarrubias was born in Mexico City, the son of a civil engineer. He dropped out of high school at the age of fourteen and went to work for his father drawing maps. In 1923 he moved to New York City to work as an illustrator, stage designer, and caricaturist with commissions for such high profile publications as Vogue, the New Yorker, and Vanity Fair. In 1933 he traveled to Bali on a Guggenheim Foundation grant to research Balinese culture resulting in his book the Island of Bali published in 1937.

Through his friendship with Diego Rivera, Covarrubias became acquainted with the artists of the Mexican muralist movement absorbing their interest in the everyday lives and culture of the Mexican people.