Mexican Modern: Masters of the 20th Century at Museum of Fine Arts

Tuesday, 18 July 2006 11:35

Santa Fe, NM—This summer, the Museum of Fine Arts in Santa Fe will be the only U.S. destination for a spectacular collection of Mexican modern art from Mexico City.  Mexican Modern: Masters of the 20^th Century will feature over sixty paintings and photographs by internationally acclaimed artists Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Manuel Álvarez Bravo, among others.  On special loan from the Museo de Arte Moderno and curated by Director Luis-Martín Lozano, the exhibition will highlight the pioneers of Mexican Modernism, focusing on works created in the first half of the 20^th century.  The exhibition runs through September 3, 2006.

Mexican Modernism is known the world over for its beauty—vibrant colors and simple imagery—and its bold socio-political commentary.  Responding to a wide gap between rich and poor, Spanish- and indigenous-descent, landed and working class, these artists used their talents to foster mestizaje pride and socialist sentiment during and following the Mexican Revolution of 1910-1917. 

Many of the artists featured in Mexican Modern were well-known muralists who painted on public buildings in Mexico City out of conviction that art should be of and for the people.  Their work expressed national pride and love of everyday life and traditions.  In this special exhibition, the public will have an opportunity to view Rivera's and Orozco's rarer works on canvas.

Mexican Modern was made possible through a special government-to-government exchange.  Given the deep historical ties between Mexico and New Mexico, the exhibition builds on and strengthens this very old relationship.

Dr. Marsha Bol, Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, said, “It is an honor to be the only museum in the United States to exhibit this prestigious collection of works by the giants of Mexican Modernism.  This is an opportunity for New Mexicans not to have to leave their state to see world-class art.”

The exhibition will not only resonate with New Mexicans, but will also have international appeal—artists represented in the exhibition greatly influenced North American and European art in the first half of the 20^th century.

A catalogue published by MNM Press will accompany the exhibition, featuring essays by Director Luis-Martín Lozano and Dr. David Craven, professor of art history at the University of New Mexico.

The Museum of Fine Arts was founded in 1917 as the Art Gallery of the Museum of New Mexico. Housed in a spectacular Pueblo Revival building designed by I. H. and William M. Rapp, it was based on their New Mexico building at the Panama-California Exposition (1915).  The museum's architecture inaugurated what has come to be known as "Santa Fe Style."  For more than 85 years the Museum has collected and exhibited work by leading artists from New Mexico and elsewhere.  This tradition continues today with a wide-array of exhibitions with work from the world’s leading artists.

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