Chapter 1
Helen Frankenthaler and the liquid canvas
Chapter 2
Agnes Martin and the quiet grid
Chapter 3
Vija Celmins and the infinite detail
Chapter 4
Tamara de Lempicka and modern speed
Chapter 5
Maruja Mallo and defiant surrealism
Chapter 6
Sofía Bassi and the prison canvas
YOUR GOAL
Master of Six women who painted outside the lines
Ch 6 · Sofía Bassi and the prison canvas
choko Sofía Bassi Prison Paintings
Signed in jail, signed in jail, she painted to be free.
choko The Egg of Rebirth
She painted a spaceship shaped like an egg, yeah, yeah! (yeah, yeah!) / To sail beyond the stars, oh, oh! (oh, oh!)
choko Born in Veracruz in 1913, Sofía Bassi studied philosophy and started painting at age 51 before her imprisonment in Acapulco.
BETA
choko Drag brushstrokes onto the prison canvas to discover how Sofía Bassi painted her masterpiece.
Fun Fact
NASA in jail: Sofía Bassi's painting celebrating the Moon landing was carried out of her prison cell directly to the Smithsonian.
Glossary
canvas (noun)
A strong, heavy, closely woven fabric used as a surface for oil painting. While imprisoned in Acapulco, Mexican artist Sofía Bassi created hundreds of paintings on this material.
A strong, heavy, closely woven fabric used as a surface for oil painting. While imprisoned in Acapulco, Mexican artist Sofía Bassi created hundreds of paintings on this material.
Quiz
What three letters did Sofía Bassi sign on all 300 paintings she created while incarcerated in Acapulco?
Quiz
At what age did Sofía Bassi first teach herself to paint, years before her historic imprisonment?
Quiz
What is the title of the historic mural Sofía Bassi painted on her Acapulco prison wall in 1969?
Quiz
Which prominent Mexican art movement did the artists who visited and painted with Bassi in prison belong to?
Quiz
Which Apollo 11 astronaut famously unveiled Sofía Bassi's prison-painted artwork "Viaje Espacial"?
Quiz
What did the egg symbol represent in Sofía Bassi's surrealist paintings and philosophy?