Gloria Cortina

Her work expresses ideas and emotions prompted by modernity and myth – ‘a search for the harmony and beauty that can be found in conscious and unconscious imaginings.’ Her designs avoid familiar international styles. The furniture and individual objects that she creates produce very specific shapes and aesthetics – and they are extremely place-sensitive.

Gloria Cortina’s design inspirations range from Mayan artifacts to Cubism, 20th century Modernism, México’s unique Arts and Crafts heritage, and natural and archaeological environments. These, and other sources, enrich her designs, giving them meaning and a uniquely individual character, balancing warmth and refinement.

Her designs flow from an intense interest in the physical, emotional, and creative qualities of spaces and materials. She develops and curates settings that bring together architecture, design, art, and culture in a way that creates place-sensitive atmospheres and aesthetics.

The designs are sensually sophisticated, emotionally engaged, and her beautifully crafted individual pieces have greatly increased international awareness of Mexican culture in contemporary design.

Her work can be found in the permanent collections of international museums like Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, New York, and Museum of Fine Arts, Denver.

Born in Bethesda, Maryland in 1972, Cortina’s design practice is widely seen throughout Mexico and the US.