Child in Mexican Kitchen

Agapito Labios, born Agapito Engel Cifuentes in Hidalgo, Mexico, began his artistic career in a rather unusual fashion. Labios’ active role in the Mexican Revolution landed the young man in jail, where he painted on the walls of his cell to pass the time. It is storied that a high-ranking official noticed his work and commissioned the self-taught artist to paint portraits of his children. Labios went on to become quite successful for his idealized portraits of magnificently dressed children, which he often sold at one of the most well-known markets in Mexico City, La Lagunilla. Labios would eventually open his own shop in the city, overseen by his son after his death in 1996.