Within his series of portraits presented at the Museum of Now, Maximiliano León mostly depicts Mexican and Austrian historical figures, in particular Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico (1832-1867). Aside from sharing the same first name, they are also connected by their geographical histories, both oscillating between Austria and Mexico. The Archduke of Habsburg, who from his castle Miramare in Trieste, at the request of the French Emperor Napoleon III set out to take control of Mexico to become Emperor Maximilian I.

The portraits symbolize the search for one’s roots, the origin of the name and the relationship between the two countries, with which the biography of the artist is so closely connected.

Despite the distorted, almost abstract faces, the historical personality is always recognizabl in León´s portraits. Taken out of the context and put into the contemporary 21st century, the portraits transform into a contemporary comment on imperealist expansion policies, that are still present today, albeit in a different form.