Carlos Pellicer
A Mexican poet who painted vivid, sensual landscapes with words and championed his country's artistic heritage as a tireless curator.
1897–1977 (age 80)·Mexican poet·Birthday: January 16·The Lost Generation
Biography
Carlos Pellicer was a poet of expansive vision, whose work fused a modernist sensibility with an almost physical love for the natural world. A founding member of Mexico's avant-garde literary group 'Los Contemporáneos,' his verse is marked by lush, precise imagery drawn from his extensive travels across Latin America. More than just a writer, Pellicer was a passionate and effective cultural activist. He dedicated immense energy to museum curation, most notably designing the magnificent Olmec hall at Mexico's National Museum of Anthropology and helping establish the Frida Kahlo Museum in the Casa Azul. His life was a dual project: to capture the beauty of the Americas in poetry and to ensure its artistic treasures were preserved and presented for all to see.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Carlos was born in 1897, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Carlos Was Born
The biggest hits of 1897
Carlos's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1897Born
President: William McKinley
1902Started school
The eruption of Mount Pelee kills 30,000 in Martinique
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1910Became a teenager
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1913Could drive
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1915Could vote
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1918Turned 21
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1927Turned 30
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1937Turned 40
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1947Turned 50
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1957Turned 60
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1967Turned 70
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1977Turned 80
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
Key Achievements
- Was a central member of the influential modernist literary group 'Los Contemporáneos' in the 1920s and 30s.
- Designed the seminal Sala Olmeca (Olmec Hall) at Mexico's National Museum of Anthropology, shaping public understanding of pre-Columbian art.
- Played a key role in the creation of the Frida Kahlo Museum in Coyoacán, helping preserve the artist's legacy.
- Served as a senator for the state of Tabasco and was a lifelong promoter of Mexican culture.
- Published numerous poetry collections, including 'Colors in the Sea' and 'Practice of Flight,' known for their erotic and naturalistic imagery.
Did You Know?
He was a close friend and contemporary of Nobel laureate Octavio Paz.
He was also an accomplished museographer, designing several other important museum exhibitions in Mexico.
His poetry has been set to music by various Mexican composers.
He received the National Prize for Literature and Linguistics in Mexico in 1964.
“I have the landscape inside me, and it is a great beast that sleeps and wakes.”
