Rogelio Ruiz Gomar, Viceregal Art Scholar, Dies at 80

Rogelio Ruiz Gomar, a distinguished scholar of viceregal art, has died. The Institute of Aesthetic Research at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) announced his passing on the morning of August 11, 2026, stating he died on Sunday, August 9.

Born in Mexico City in 1946, Ruiz Gomar pursued his higher education at UNAM's Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, earning degrees in History and a master's in Art History. His academic and professional life was devoted to the study of artistic expressions from the viceregal period, with a particular focus on painting. He spent six years as a researcher at the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) at the National Museum of Viceregal Art in Tepotzotlán.

In 1980, he joined UNAM's Institute of Aesthetic Research, where he conducted significant research until 2019. Concurrently, he held a substantial teaching position at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters and in UNAM's postgraduate programs. Throughout his career, Ruiz Gomar published numerous studies and articles in specialized and general interest journals, both nationally and internationally, and contributed to various exhibitions.

His most recent contribution was the project "Painters of New Spain: From a Data Collection to a Digital Infrastructure for the Study of Art History (IDEHA)," a freely accessible repository containing approximately 1,400 records of painters from New Spain. This initiative enhances research and dissemination of Mexico's artistic heritage. The Institute of Aesthetic Research at UNAM recognized his career and contributions to research, teaching, and the promotion of viceregal art history, extending condolences to his family, colleagues, students, and friends.

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The Institute of Aesthetic Research at UNAM recognizes the trajectory and contributions of Mtro. Rogelio Ruiz Gomar to the research, teaching, and dissemination of viceregal art history, and expresses its deepest condolences to his family, colleagues, students, and friends.