Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945

Feb 17, 2020–Jan 31, 2021

Mexico underwent a radical cultural transformation at the end of its Revolution in 1920. A new relationship between art and the public was established, giving rise to art that spoke directly to the people about social justice and national life. The model galvanized artists in the United States who were seeking to break free of European aesthetic domination to create publicly significant and accessible native art. Numerous American artists traveled to Mexico, and the leading Mexican muralists—José Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera, and David Alfaro Siqueiros—spent extended periods of time in the United States, executing murals, paintings, and prints; exhibiting their work; and interacting with local artists. With nearly 200 works by over sixty Mexican and American artists, this exhibition reorients art history by revealing the profound impact the Mexican muralists had on their counterparts in the United States during this period and the ways in which their example inspired American artists both to create epic narratives about American history and everyday life and to use their art to protest economic, social, and racial injustices.

This exhibition is organized by Barbara Haskell, curator, with Marcela Guerrero, assistant curator; Sarah Humphreville, senior curatorial assistant; and Alana Hernandez, former curatorial project assistant.

The lead sponsor for Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 is the Jerome L. Greene Foundation

This exhibition is also sponsored by Citi; Citibanamex, its Mexican affiliate; and Delta and Aeromexico.

and  

Major support is provided by the Judy Hart Angelo Exhibition Fund, the Barbara Haskell American Fellows Legacy Fund, the Henry Luce Foundation, the Terra Foundation for American Art, and the Whitney’s National Committee.

Generous support is provided by The Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J. Horowitz Foundation for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Ted and Mary Jo Shen.

Significant support is provided by the Alturas Foundation, Paul Arnhold, Wes Gordon and the Arnhold Foundation, the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Charitable Foundation, Blair and Cheryl Effron, Garrett Moran and Mary Penniman Moran, and Laurie M. Tisch.

Additional support is provided by Tony Bechara; Estrellita and Daniel Brodsky; Jeanne Donovan Fisher; the Garcia Family Foundation; the Judy and Stanley Katz Family Foundation; and the Robert Lehman Foundation, Inc.

Curatorial research and travel were funded by the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation.

 

INBAL

Mexican Cultural Institute New York Relaciones Exteriores

New York magazine is the exclusive media sponsor.

En Español

Nos complace ofrecer los siguientes recursos y programas en español para Vida Americana: una guía portátil, traducciones de todos los videos relacionados a la exposición, visitas guiadas gratuitas de la exposición, y visitas guiadas gratuitas para las escuelas públicas de la ciudad de Nueva York. Todos los textos descriptivos de la exposición estarán en inglés y español en el Museo.

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Epic Histories

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The economic meltdown that followed the 1929 crash of the U.S. stock market shattered the country’s faith in itself and its future. Guided by the Mexican muralists’ creation of unifying national myths rooted in the struggles and triumphs of ordinary citizens, artists in the United States remodeled elements of national history and everyday life into epics of strength and endurance in an effort to help the country revitalize itself.

Black American painters such as Aaron Douglas, Charles White, and Hale Woodruff found inspiration in the muralists’ celebration of the Mexican people’s fight for emancipation from the tyranny of autocratic rule. In constructing redemptive narratives of social justice out of their own history of oppression, resistance, and liberation, these artists transformed that history into a new collective identity, one that foregrounded the contributions of Black Americans to national life. Thomas Hart Benton likewise celebrated the Mexican muralists. Hailing them as a powerful countervailing force to “elite” modes of European abstraction, Benton urged his fellow artists to follow their example of using a modern visual vocabulary to speak directly to the public about socially relevant issues. Although from a contemporary perspective Benton’s critical history of the United States often relies problematically on ethnic and racial stereotypes of Black and Native Americans, his goal was to invoke the nation’s past in order to create a shared vision of the future.

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Aaron Douglas, Aspiration, 1936

A painting depicting a crowd in chains and three individuals standing pointing at skyscrapers in the distance.
A painting depicting a crowd in chains and three individuals standing pointing at skyscrapers in the distance.

Aaron Douglas, Aspiration, 1936. Oil on canvas, 60 × 60 in. (152.4 × 152.4 cm). Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; museum purchase, the estate of Thurlow E. Tibbs Jr., the Museum Society Auxiliary, American Art Trust Fund, Unrestricted Art Trust Fund, partial gift of Dr. Ernest A. Bates, Sharon Bell, Jo-Ann Beverly, Barbara Carleton, Dr. and Mrs. Arthur H. Coleman, Dr. and Mrs. Coyness Ennix, Jr., Nicole Y. Ennix, Mr. and Mrs. Gary Francois, Dennis L. Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell C. Gillette, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goodyear, Zuretti L. Goosby, Marion E. Greene, Mrs. Vivian S. W. Hambrick, Laurie Gibbs Harris, Arlene Hollis, Louis A. and Letha Jeanpierre, Daniel and Jackie Johnson, Jr., Stephen L. Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Lathan, Lewis & Ribbs Mortuary Garden Chapel, Mr. and Mrs. Gary Love, Glenn R. Nance, Mr. and Mrs. Harry S. Parker III, Mr. and Mrs. Carr T. Preston, Fannie Preston, Pamela R. Ransom, Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin F. Reed, San Francisco Black Chamber of Commerce, San Francisco Chapter of Links, Inc., San Francisco Chapter of the N.A.A. C.P., Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Dr. Ella Mae Simmons, Mr. Calvin R. Swinson, Joseph B. Williams, Mr. and Mrs. Alfred S. Wilsey, and the people of the Bay Area. © 2020 Heirs of Aaron Douglas / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY

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Painting of a woman with a basket of calla lilies
Painting of a woman with a basket of calla lilies

Alfredo Ramos Martínez, Calla Lily Vendor, 1929. Oil on canvas, 45 13/16 × 36 in. (116.3 × 91.4 cm). Private collection. © The Alfredo Ramos Martínez Research Project, reproduced by permission

“[Rivera] was fascinated by the ways in which man and machinery meet, and the ways in which they change the world together.” —Mark Castro

Hear from artists, scholars, and the curators of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 speaking about works on view.

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Exhibition Catalogue

The catalogue for Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 offers an in-depth look at the transformative influence of the Mexican muralists on U.S. artists during a period of tremendous social change. Edited by curator Barbara Haskell, the book also features essays by Mark A. Castro, Dafne Cruz Porchini, Renato González Mello, Marcela Guerrero, Andrew Hemingway, Anna Indych-López, Michael K. Schuessler, Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw, ShiPu Wang, and James Wechsler.

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Explore works from this exhibition
in the Whitney's collection

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In the News

"‘Vida Americana’ Is the Most Relevant Show of the 21st Century" —Vulture 

"The show is stupendous, and complicated, and lands right on time." —The New York Times

"[A]fter 'Vida Americana' the history of American art doesn’t remain quite the same." —The Wall Street Journal

"[S]hines a light on the Mexican artists whose politically charged, populist work shaped some of the most significant American artists of the 20th century" —Time

"The exhibition is a major statement from a museum devoted to the history of American art." —artnet News

"Beyond the wall: a golden period of exchange between Mexican and US artists is revisited" —The Art Newspaper

"Vida Americana reveals the seismic impact of Mexican art" —artdaily

"[A] gorgeous guide to understanding the importance of social realist muralism and the power of public art" —Juxtapoz

"[A]n eye-opening new exhibition" —CNN

"This show . . . added nuance and shading, making a fascinating historical episode seem more remarkable and unlikely than ever."—The Washington Post

"[S]heds light on the often-neglected influence that Mexican artists had in the earlier part of the 20th century on their American counterparts to explore social issues, injustices and new styles of painting." —amNewYork

On the Hour

A 30-second online art project:
Maya Man, A Realistic Day In My Life Living In New York City

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