A descendant of legendary Mexican architect Luis Barragán is outraged after discovering that his great-uncle's cremated remains have been used to create a diamond ring.
Tadeo Pintado Barragán Cervantes Omana has written a letter on behalf of several of the architect's relatives, describing the "enormous outrage and deep sadness" on discovering that artist Jill Magid used Barragán's ashes to create a two-carat diamond.
"Just thinking about this atrocity makes me want to vomit," said Pintado in the letter, which has been translated from Spanish.
Pintado claimed he only found out about the art project after reading an article about it in American magazine The New Yorker. He is now demanding that the ashes be returned to Barragán's grave. "After reading, my hands began to sweat and I could not open my mouth for over two hours," he said, describing his reaction as "shocked and very sad".
"I have to do something about it, because if I don't I will never forgive myself," he added. "I want to return the ashes of my uncle to where they belong and if that is as a diamond then so be it."
Magid claimed the cremated remains were exhumed with permission from the architect's family. But Barragán's great-nephew Tadeo Pintado Barragán Cervantes Omana said these relatives were not close to him
Magid created the ring to offer to Barragán Foundation founder Federica Zanco, who owns the architect's professional...