About the artist

A woman in a white shirt stands near an easel, holding a red-tipped paintbrush and a sketchpad, observing a romantic wedding-themed painting of a bride and groom holding hands outdoors with a windmill in the background.

Elena San Pietrini (Elena Pietrini Sánchez) is a live wedding painter, as well, she creates paintings at corporative events, anniversaries, birthdays and other special occasions.

She has exhibited her work at BAK, basis voor actuele kunst, in Utrecht, as well as in the museum Het Mondriaanhuis, in Amersfoort, and in the RRMND Galerie in Limburg. 

​Most of her paintings belong to private collectors in Italy, México, the United States of America, Spain and Sweden.

​She is best known for her figurative images depicting Madonna and Child paintings, following traditional iconography and merging with archetypical symbols found in different cultures.

Elena San Pietrini path into art was inspired by her grandfather Jorge Sánchez Hernández (1926-2016), a renown Mexican painter that illustrated one of the most beautiful Guadalupe Gospels known as Nican Mopohua. He illustrated the life of one of the first and most important feminists in Mexico in the seventeenth century, the nun Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz.

His artworks inspired Elena's Madonna and Child series of paintings and the exploration of the feminine figure as an artistic archetype. Her grandfather introduced her to the art of some of his contemporary artists in Mexico such as Frida Kahlo and the surrealists Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo, both refugees from Europe who found sanctuary in Mexico. Through the impulse of her grandfather Elena explored a painting vocabulary and style, different than his, but immersed in love for Mexico.

Elena was born in México City. She lives and works in The Netherlands., speaks fluent English, Spanish and basic Netherlands.

Awards & Recognitions

  • 2016 - 2017

    Fine Arts Master Program. Hogeschool voor de Kunsten. Utrecht, The Netherlands.

    2006 - 2010

    Bachelor in Art History. Universidad Iberoamericana. Mexico City, Mexico.

  • 2025

    Finalist at international painting contest: “Painting of the Year”. RRMND Galerie, Limburg, The Netherlands.

    2024

    First Prize at international painting contest: “Earthly Paradise”. Mondrian Huis, Amersfoort. The Netherlands.

    2013

    Honorific Mention at “53th National Watercolour Amateur Competition”.
    National Watercolour Museum Guati Rojo. Mexico City, Mexico.

    2005

    First Prize at national youth painting contest “Don Quijote de la Mancha”.
    Royal Club Spain. Mexico City, Mexico.

  • 2025

    “Painting of the Year”. Roermond Gallery. RMND Galerie, Limburg, The Netherlands. From January to March, 2025.

    2024

    “Earthly Paradise”. Het Mondriaanhuis.
    Amersfoort, The Netherlands. From March to June, 2024.

    2017

    “Abiotic Factors”(curated by Marion von Osten). Bak. Utrecht, The Netherlands. From 24 June to 9 July, 2017.

    2014

    Affordable Art Fair. Mexico City, Mexico. October, 2014.

    2014

    “Woman is Art”. Teachers Center, Secretary of Public Education.
    Mexico City, Mexico. From 18 March to 12 April, 2014.

    2013

    “Elementos”. Centro Cultural El Refugio. Tlaquepaque, Guadalajara.
    From 29 Noviembre to 15 December, 2013.

    2013

    “About Fanny Rabel”. Israelite Sports Center.
    Mexico City, México. From 11 November to 1 December, 2013.

    2013

    “53th National Watercolour Amateur Competition”.
    National Watercolour Museum Guati Rojo.
    Mexico City, Mexico. From 14 to 28 of July, 2013.

    2013

    “Annual Exhibition of

    Sacred Art”.
    Parish of San José María Escrivá de Balaguer.
    Mexico City, Mexico. From May 24 to June 2, 2013.

    2005

    “Don Quijote de la Mancha”.
    Royal Club Spain. Mexico City, Mexico.

  • 2025

    Roermond Gallery

    Limburg, The Netherlands

    Painting of the Year.

    Online resource: https://paintingoftheyear.com/40-finalists

    2024

    Het Mondriaanhuis

    Amersfoort, The Netherlands

    Earthly Paradise.

    Online resource: https://amersfoort.nieuws.nl/nieuws/64071/winnaars-
    schilderwedstrijd-mondriaanhuis/

    2017

    BAK
    Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Abiotic Factors.
    Online resource: https://www.bakonline.org/en/making+public/program/
    abiotic+factors/

    2013

    Centro Cultural El Refugio
    Guadalajara, México

    Elementos.

    Online resource: https://www.informador.mx/Cultura/Tlaquepaque-exhibira-el-
    trabajo-de-67-pintoras-mexicanas-20131125-0143.html

    2013

    Israelite Sports Center

    Mexico City, México.

    About Fanny Rabel.
    Online resource. Page 14 of 28.
    https://www.slideshare.net/danielocampo1441/
    cdinforma-nm-2624-7-de-kislev-de-5774-mxico-df-a-10-de-noviembre-de-2013

Image of a sign with a blue top section, the word '&AMERSFOORT' and 'MONDRIANHUIS' written below
Talens logo in red text inside a white circular background
Pink background with white text that says 'Affordable Art Fair'
University of the Arts Utrecht logo with blue letters HKU and tagline.
Logo for RRMND Galerie Art Shop in black text on a white background.
Blue square logo with the white lowercase letters 'bak'.
Text that says "Painting of the Year 2024" with yellow and purple lettering on a blue background.