Francisco Díaz de León

Francisco Díaz de León (September 24, 1897 – December 29, 1975) was a Mexican graphic artist, notable for pioneering much of modern Mexican graphic arts. He spent his childhood around books and when he studied art in Mexico City, he specialized in engraving and illustration. He spent his career illustrating books, magazines and more, reviving techniques such as dry point and introducing new techniques and styles such as the use of color and linoleum printing. He was also a noted arts education, directing several schools including the Escuela Mexicana de las Artes del Libro (now the Escuela Nacional de Artes Gráficas), which he founded. He was a founding member of the Academia de Artes and a member of the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana. In 1969 he received the Premio Nacional de Artes for engraving.

Life Díaz de León was born in the Triana neighborhood in the city of Aguascalientes, the son of Francisco Díaz de León and Ignacia Medina. He spent his childhood around books as his father had a book binding shop.

At an early age he showed artistic ability and was sent to the Academia de Dibujo run by José Inés Tovilla. After finishing primary school, he went to work with the Ferrocarril Central Mexicano. In 1919, Diaz de Leon joined the movement that opposed official teaching methods and favored a reorganization of the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes. Shortly after he became one of the first students of the Chimalistac Open Air School of Painting, headed by Alfredo Ramos Martinez. In 1922, he began learning engraving techniques, eventually mastering all of them.

He was meticulous and organized, leaving behind many personal and professional notes. In 1928, with Carlos Alvarado Lang, he began a bookbinding workshop at the Escuela Central de Artes Plásticas, In 2008, this archive was donated to the Andrés Blaisten Collection of the Centro Cultural Universitario Tlatelolco by the artist's two daughters for promotion and academic study the Posada gold medal in 1966, and the Premio Nacional de Artes for engraving in 1969. In 2010, the Andrés Blaisten Collection in Mexico City held an exhibition of his work and the Instituto Cultural de Aguascalientes published a biography.