Diego Rivera was the greatest among a large group of Mexican artists who produced etchings, woodblock prints and lithographs. Others of that genre included Rufino Tamayo, David Alfaro Siqueiros, José Clemente Orozco, and Frida Kahlo, creating works depicting Mexico’s past, critiquing its present, and exploring its future.

Mexico and Modern Printmaking: A Revolution in the Graphic Arts, 1920-1950, is a new special exhibit on view at Phoenix Art Museum July 1, 2007 through September 16, 2007. It is the first comprehensive exhibition in years to present the work of these artists and their American and European colleagues working in Mexico at the time. Mexico and Modern Printmaking is a display of nearly 150 important lithographs, etchings and woodcuts by 40 artists who came to define a new brand of Modernism, native to Mexico – such as Rivera, Orozco, Siqueiros, Tamayo, Kahlo, Dr. Atl and their European and American colleagues in Mexico at the time, including Jean Charlot, Howard Cook, Caroline Durieux, and Elizabeth Catlett. Included are views of rural Mexico and its people, city life and workers, landscapes, portraits and studies, broadsides, important moments and figures in history, and surrealistic imagery. Foremost to be seen in the works of art is a struggle by the artists to show the meaning of being Mexican, the economic and political conflicts of the day, and a vision of the future for this fledgling society.

Printmaking was central to a broad spectrum of political, cultural and artistic endeavors that captivated many outside of Mexico, as well as their fellow countrymen. In addition to discussion of each of the artists and their work in the show, the fully-illustrated exhibition catalog contains three seminal essays on the history of printmaking in Mexico, the connection between Mexico and the New York art market up through World War II, and the interface of printmaking and contemporary politics in post-Revolution Mexico.

Mexico and Modern Printmaking: A Revolution in the Graphic Arts, 1920-1950 will be available to the public to view at Phoenix Art Museum from July 1, 2007 through September 16, 2007. There will also be a full line-up of events, programs and family activities in conjunction with the exhibition, including a drop-in studio where adults can experiment with printmaking on Tuesdays, July 17 and August 21, 7 to 8:30 p.m., and Saturday, September 8, noon to 2 p.m.

The Museum also will celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day with an array of activities and entertainment for the entire family, Saturday and Sunday, September 15 & 16, 12 Noon – 2pm.

For more information, call the 24-hour information line at 602-257-1222.

_{Information in this article was obtained from Phoenix Art Museum, used with permission.}

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