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MEXICAN MODERN: MASTERS OF THE 20TH CENTURY ON EXHIBITThis summer, the Museum of Fine Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico will be the only U.S. destination for a magnificent collection of Mexican modern art from 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, 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. Mexican Modern: Masters of the 20th Century will feature over sixty paintings and photographs by internationally acclaimed artists Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Jose Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Manuel Alvarez Bravo, among others. On special loan from the Museo de Arte Moderno and curated by Director Luis-Martin Lozano, the exhibition will highlight the pioneers of Mexican Modernism, focusing on works created in the first half of the 20th century.
Noche de Oro, a gala benefit and preview of Mexican Modern, will be hosted by the Museum of New Mexico Foundation for the Museum of Fine Arts on Saturday, May 27th. A members-only exhibit preview also takes place on Sunday, May 28th at 10 a.m. The official opening will be May 28, 2006 from 12:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M., and is free to New Mexico residents. The exhibition runs through September 3, 2006. Hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M. Open Free on Fridays, 5:00pm to 8:00 P.M. Admission: Children 16 and under free. New Mexico residents with I.D. free on Sundays. New Mexico resident Senior Citizens (age 60+) with I.D. free Wednesdays. Museum Foundation members free. Adults (age 17 and above): $7.00 for non-state residents; $5.00 for New Mexico residents. The Museum of Fine Arts is located on the Plaza in Santa Fe at 107 W. Palace Avenue. Call 505-476-5072 for more information, or visit www.mfasantafe.org Photos courtesy of the Museum of New Mexico Edited by: Lakisha Hughes |
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Mexican Modernism is known the world over for its
beauty-vibrant colors, simple imagery and its bold socio-political commentary.
Responding to a gap between rich and poor, Spanish and indigenous-descent
working class 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 with a 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 20th century. A catalogue published by MNM Press will accompany the
exhibition, featuring essays by Director Luis-Martin Lozano and Dr. David
Craven, professor of art history at the University of New Mexico. The opening of
Mexican Modern is among the highlights in an exciting lineup of Memorial Day
Weekend activities that kick off the 2006 summer art season in Santa Fe.