By Nicole Solis  August 4th, 2009 9:14 am  |  Comments (0)

An alebrije by David Linares. Courtesy of Zocalo Folk Art.

In the Finds department of Afar, we’re always looking for the story behind the souvenir. One story that absolutely captivated me was that of Mexico City’s famous Linares family and the alebrije papier-mache sculpture.

Suffering from a serious stomach illness, “Papa” Pedro Linares had a feverish nightmare. Clouds turned into frightening creatures: part insect, part dragon, part lizard, and part devil. When Linares recovered, he christened the creatures alebrijes and vowed to recreate them in his art, papier-mache cartoneria sculptures that were collected by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

The alebrije quickly caught on with galleries and museums, becoming a popular subject of Mexican folk art. (A Mexican wrestler even adopted the name El Alebrije.) Linares’ children and grandchildren–and some of their wives–have continued the family tradition, making alebrijes and the familiar calacas skeleton figures. Their work is sold in galleries and exhibited in museums including the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

To buy an authentic Linares family alebrije in Mexico, visit Zocalo Folk Art, which has locations in San Miguel de Allende and Patzcuaro. Owners Rick and Deb Hall have a great collection of Linares work by several members of the family, some of which is available for sale through their Web site.

In the United States, San Francisco’s Polanco Gallery carries many larger cartoneria Linares sculptures, from more traditional Tehuana designs to the very contemporary Punkero (complete with skateboard and mohawk). Polanco’s friendly and extremely knowledgeable owners Aldo and John have worked with the Linares family for more than 15 years, importing their artwork and commissioning special cartonerias from Leonardo Linares, such as a Frida Kahlo to commemorate a recent traveling exhibit of her work.