Camino a la Modernidad. The Path to Modernity: Mexican Modern Art

Published on the occasion of the exhibition Camino a la Modernidad. The Path to Modernity: Mexican Modern Art, this catalogue recalls the architecture of Tenochtitlan, the ancient Aztec city of historical Mexico. The stepped design organises the catalogue for ease of reference, separating sections such as biographies of the artists showcased, a full list of artworks with colour plates and accompanying commentary, and an essay on Mexican art of the early 20th Century.

The exhibition traces major developments in Mexican art from the 1900s to the 1950s where Mexican society was undergoing tremendous social and political changes. The Mexican Revolution (1910) led to a radical shift in its visual arts. Under State directives, many artworks were commissioned with the chief objectives: the forging a new national identity, the projection of this Mexican image abroad, and the promotion of a nationalistic consciousness to the working class masses.

The artworks reveal the nation’s myriad artistic languages that constitute the formation of Mexican modernism. For some artists, modernity implied the constant search for artistic renewal, always compromised with a political and historical reflection. For others, modernity meant a departure from academic conventions, technical innovation and a commitment to the people. This exhibition features over 70 works from important Mexican public and private collections, including works by Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, José Clemente Orozco, Roberto Montenegro, Rufino Tamayo, Maria Izquierdo and Frida Kahlo.