Ida Rodríguez-Prampolini

Mexican writer, researcher, professor and art critic, Ida Rodríguez-Prampolini, died at approximately 2 pm in the port city of Veracruz at the age of 92. After visiting the museum of Europe, Rodríguez-Prampolini returned to Mexico, the country of her birth, with the idea "that art is a remedy for the ailments of the world" and began her career as a teacher in Mexico. In 1987, after retiring from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), she founded the Instituto Veracruzano de la Cultura (IVEC), which she directed until 1993. This institute covers a wide range of cultural activities, including publications, philosophy, and folklore from the State of Veracruz. Between 2002 and 2007, Rodríguez-Prampolini served as director of the Consejo Veracruzano de Arte Popular, founded eleven museums, two art schools, twelve municipal archives, and fifty-seven cultural centers. The historian was also a member of the Academia de las Artes de México and the Academia Mexicana de la Historia. She received several recognitions during her life for her contributions to the promotion of contemporary art in Mexico and Europe. Some of her works include: La Crítica de arte en México en el siglo XIX, 1810–1903 (Art Criticism in Mexico During the 19th Century, 1810–1903) (1964), El arte contemporáneo, splendor y agonía (Contemporary Art, Splendor and Agony) (1964), and Presentación de seis artistas mexicanos: Gunter Gerszo, Kasuya Sakai, Sebastián, Mathias Goeritz, Vicente Rojo, Manuel Felguérez (Presentation of Six Mexican Artists: Gunter Gerszo, Kasuya Sakai, Sebastián, Mathias Goeritz, Vicente Rojo, Manuel Felguérez) (1978). Research Professor Emeritus at the UNAM since 1988, she received the following recognitions: National University Award (1991); National History, Social Sciences and Philosophy Award (2001); and the Calasanz Medal, granted by the Universidad Cristóbal Colón de Veracruz (2002). She belonged to Mexico's National System of Researchers; was a full member of the Academia Mexicana de la Historia, the Academia de las Artes, and the International Union of Academies, in Brussels, Belgium. In 1967, she was a juror of the 9th São Paulo Biennial, in Brazil, and, in 1986, served as president of the jury of the 2nd Havana Biennial, in Cuba. On August 4, the Instituto Veracruzano de la Cultura, led by its director Enrique Márquez-Almazán, organized a tribute to Ida Rodríguez-Prampolini at the Ex-convento Betlehemita, the institute's headquarters.