Alejandro Luna, renowned stage creator, died

This Tuesday, at the age of 83, just turned, the Mexican architect and set designer passed away Alejandro Luna LedesmaNational Award for Sciences and Arts in 2001, Fine Arts Medal in 2016, and a number member of the Academy of Arts since 2007.

Given the news, the Ministry of Culture, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AMACC) expressed their condolences via Twitter.

“The Ministry of Culture regrets the death of the architect, set designer, lighting designer and academic Alejandro Luna, an essential scenic creator in the history of theater in Mexico. He was awarded the 2016 Fine Arts Medal and the 2001 National Science and Arts Award, ”the agency published.

“AMACC regrets the death of Alejandro Luna, architect, lighting designer and set designer. Creator of theatrical and cinematographic worlds. In 1985 he won the Ariel award for best setting for his work on the film Frida. We hug Diego (Luna) and all his family and friends, ”said the collegiate body.

For its part, UNAM wrote: “We regret the death of the architect Alejandro Luna, set designer of more than 300 operas and plays and dance in America, Asia and Europe.”

Alejandro Luna was born in Mexico City (December 1, 1939), studied architecture at the end of the 1950s at the then National School of Architecture, and studied drama at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters at UNAM. .

Throughout his long career, he designed the sets for more than 300 productions presented on the best stages in the world and was the production designer for famous feature films, among which “Frida. Living Nature” (1986), by Paul Leduc; “Cow’s Head” (1991), by Nicholas echevarria; “Holy Blood” (1989) by Alejandro Jodorowskyand “The task” (1992), by Jaime Humberto hermosillo.

In addition, he advised on the construction of theaters such as the Juan Ruiz de Alarcón and the Miguel Covarrubias Hall, for the UNAM, or the Diana Theater and the Performing Arts Center, in Guadalajara. A pillar, then, with all those of the law, of the Mexican theater.

Just last August, a tribute was paid to him at a theater in the Esperanza Iris City full of joy, with the staging of the play “Oedipus: no one is an atheist”, by David Gaitán; Luna struggled up on stage to receive the applause of the audience and listen to Gaitán’s words: “The privilege of working with you on the works that we have been assigned has been the highest point of my artistic career,” Gaitán told him. “The sensitivity you have to bring the technical world to the world of subtlety and sensitivity is something I have never found before. When they asked me why the homage to Alejandro Luna was, I replied that for artists of this stature, motives are not needed.

At the microphone, Luna responded: “Everyone applauding, it’s very exciting. It never happens to me, huh? They applaud the client more”, she said after pointing to the director of the work, she paused and added: “thank you for such a nice reception. From here I see everyone, this is undoubtedly a privileged place. Thank you very much for the applause, ”he concluded and was invited to go down the stairs, but, like a good theater man, he chose to go out by the side.

(With information from Ricardo Quiroga)