Tita Cantú
1990–
Tita Cantú was born in Mexico in May 1990. She enjoyed a very happy childhood with art a constant presence, thanks in large part to an artist mom who had a studio inside the family home. Cantú admired how her mom created abstract paintings from her imagination, and spent many afternoons doing homework while her mom painted and talked about her art. This is how Cantú first learned about color, tones, and techniques, while occasionally being allowed to add a few brushstrokes to the paintings, making a youthful Tita Cantú feel like a real artist. Growing up, Tita Cantú was fortunate to travel with her parents and siblings to a variety of countries, visiting art museums and galleries around the world. This was part of what Cantú says was a cultural and fun childhood. She was enrolled in painting and ceramics classes at five years old because of what her mother called an artistic gift and sensitivity.
READ MORE +As a sensitive and emotional person, Cantú was always deeply interested in the stories behind each painting, assigning meaning to what she observed. In college, Cantú studied art history one summer at the Medici School in Florence, Italy, and that’s where her love for art was reignited. During a prior trip to Florence, she vividly remembers standing in front of Andrea del Sarto’s Madonna of the Harpies at the Uffizi Gallery, studying every detail. When someone asked if she’d seen the harpy, Cantú went back to look again, and upon finally noticing it, was stunned—she had looked so closely, yet missed something incredibly important. That singular experience sparked a deep curiosity in Tita Cantú and made her want to observe every painting more attentively and become a better viewer of art. In 2020, she published her first book, Un corazón con vista al mar (A Heart with a Sea view), in which she reflects on life’s deeper meanings through analogies inspired by the sea.
Back in Mexico, Tita Cantú took several courses in art history, from prehistoric to contemporary, but later studied international business and focused on office jobs far removed from the art world. When Tita Cantú’s mother was diagnosed with ALS and had to stop painting after nearly 30 years, she started helping her. After her mom passed away in 2021, Tita Cantú inherited her studio and from that moment on, felt an almost automatic need to paint and express herself through art. Today, painting is an essential part of Tita Cantú’s life and her artistic process is deeply emotional and often connected to what she’s experiencing or feeling in the moment. With ideas born from a specific emotion, she often expresses herself through animals because Cantú believes they carry immense wisdom and live with far less complexity than humans do.
The realistic artwork of Tita Cantú is usually accompanied by a philosophical idea that evolves as she paints, often bringing up more reflections and emotions as the oil is expertly applied to the canvas. During trips to India, Africa, Thailand, Australia and more, she’s had the chance to admire and photograph animals in their natural habitats. The wonder of wildlife continues to amaze her. Through her paintings, Cantú reminds the viewer that there’s deep wisdom in the wild, and by simply pausing and reflecting, we could live much happier lives. She believes that simplicity holds the key to fulfillment, and we often complicate life unnecessarily.
Accomplishments
With an artistic résumé that’s still growing, Tita Cantú has already had the opportunity to participate in several group exhibitions at galleries and cultural centers in Mexico.
Individually, she’s taken part in international art fairs like Spectrum Art Fair in Miami, USA (2024) and ArtFest in Querétaro, Mexico. Additionally, Cantú’s artwork has been featured in newspapers as well as collector-focused magazines such as México Moda during Zona Maco, the biggest ArtFair in Latin America.
To inquire about collecting more artwork by Tita Cantú, attend one of Park West’s online auction weekends or contact a sales associate at either sales@parkwestgallery.com or (866) 995-0904 ext. 4.
