Wisdom is Peace

Author: Sofía Bassi

Title:Sabiduría es Paz (Wisdom is Peace)

Date: 1993

Material: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 90.5 × 187.8 inches (2.30 × 4.77 meters)

Location: Antonio Caso Library, Faculty of Law, National University of Mexico

Rights: Sofía Bassi Foundation

Wisdom is Peace (Sabiduría es paz) is a mural painted by Sofía Bassi in her studio and later installed at the Antonio Caso Library, Faculty of Law, UNAM. The composition takes the form of a suspended landmass that reads as a map of the Americas. The lower edge extends into root-like forms, while the upper areas open into vegetation and sky. At the center, a standing female figure rises from the terrain with both arms lifted. To the right, another figure sits inside a hollowed form, holding a book inscribed with the phrase “Respect for the rights of others is peace,” attributed to Benito Juárez. Above, white banners cross the sky alongside a group of birds. A large blue ovoid form appears in the upper left, separated from the land.

The mural draws on Mexican mural painting, especially the link between land and collective life. The composition does not show scenes of revolution or social conflict. The focus shifts to knowledge and law, marked by the book and its inscription. Across the surface, smaller scenes appear embedded in the terrain and recall the landscapes Bassi painted during her years in prison. The blue ovoid form belongs to her alchemical imagery and appears here above the continent as a vessel. The white banners read as signs of peace. The image organizes these elements across the map, from the root-like forms in the south to the vegetation and sky in the north.