Mexican Masters

The last time I was at the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City, I was quite upset.  Most of the museum's galleries were being used for temporary exhibits.  There was just one small space for a dozen or two paintings from their permanent collection.  I thought that any tourist coming to the museum to see the richness of Mexican art would have been sorely disappointed.

When I went to the museum last week to see the Gelman exhibit (see my previous two entries), I found that a much larger portion of their permanent collection was on display.  It's probably a fraction of their holdings.  (Most museums have only a portion of their collections on exhibit.)  However, it definitely gives visitors a much better overview of 20th century Mexican art, especially with the Gelman collection to supplement it. 

The so-called "Big Three" of Mexican muralism... David Alfaro Siqueiros, Diego Rivera, and José Clemente Orozco... were well represented with smaller format works.

"Our Present Image"

by David Alfaro Siqueiros

1947

"Peasant Mother"

by David Alfaro Siqueiros

1930

"The Fruits of the Land"

by Diego Rivera

1932

"The Dream of the Poor"

by Diego Rivera

1932

"Vigil of the Day of the Dead"

by Diego Rivera

1944

"Portrait of Lupe Marín"

by Diego Rivera

1938

(Marín was the second wife of Diego Rivera.)

"Nocturnal Landscape"

by Diego Rivera

1947

"The Worship of Huichilobos"

by José Clemente Orozco

1947

(Huichilobos is another name for Huitzilopochtli, the principal god of the Aztecs.)

"The Women Soldiers"

by José Clemente Orozco

1926

"Landscape with Maguey Plants"

by José Clemente Orozco

undated

Another Mexican painter who gained international fame was Rufino Tamayo.

"Homage to the Indian Race"

by Rufino Tamayo

1952

This enormous painting is a portable mural which can be disassembled and transported.

"Nude in Gray"

by Rufino Tamayo

1931

"Landscape with Rocks"

by Rufino Tamayo

1925

More from the Museum of Modern Art in the next post...