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.

Events

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Installation photography

Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Everett Gee Jackson, Women with Cactus, 1928; María Izquierdo, My Nieces, 1940; Excerpt from Tehuantepec, Mexico, 1940s. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Everett Gee Jackson, Women with Cactus, 1928; María Izquierdo, My Nieces, 1940; Excerpt from Tehuantepec, Mexico, 1940s. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Diego Rivera, The Flowered Barge, 1931; Diego Rivera, Flower Festival: Feast of Santa Anita, 1931; Everett Gee Jackson, Women with Cactus, 1928; María Izquierdo, My Nieces, 1940. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: Martin Fletcher, Trouble in Frisco, 1938; David Alfaro Siqueiros, Zapata, 1931; Diego Rivera, The Flowered Barge (La Canoa Enflorada), 1931; Diego Rivera, Flower Festival (Fiesta de Flores): Feast of Santa Anita, 1931; Diego Rivera, The Uprising, 1931. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Edward Weston, Pyramid of the Sun, 1923; Lola Álvarez Bravo, Untitled, n.d.; Edward Weston, Maguey Cactus, Mexico, 1926 (printed later); Sergei Eisenstein, Excerpt from ¡Que viva Mexico!, 1932; Diego Rivera, Agrarian Leader Zapata, 1931; Philip Guston, Reuben Kadish, and Jules Langsner, Reproduction of The Struggle against Terrorism (The Struggle against War and Fascism), 1934–35; Alfredo Ramos Martínez, The Protector, 1932; Alfredo Ramos Martínez, The Bondage of War, 1939; Diego Rivera, The Flowered Barge, 1931; Diego Rivera, Flower Festival: Feast of Santa Anita, 1931. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: José Clemente Orozco, Barricada (Baricade), 1931; Diego Rivera, The Uprising, 1931; Tina Modotti, Bandolier, Corn, Sickle, 1927; Tina Modotti, Campesinos Reading “El Machete”, 1929; Tina Modotti, Worker’s Parade, 1926; Luis Arenal Bastar, Zapatista, 20th century. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Mardonio Magaña, Man with Sarape and Sombrero, 1935; José Clemente Orozco, Pancho Villa, 1931; José Clemente Orozco, Barricade, 1931; Diego Rivera, The Uprising, 1931. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: David Alfaro Siqueiros, Zapata, 1931; José Clemente Orozco, Zapatistas, 1931. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: José Clemente Orozco, Reproduction of Prometheus, 1930; Alfredo Ramos Martínez, The Malinche (Young Girl of Yalala, Oaxaca), c. 1940; Frida Kahlo, Me and My Parrots, 1941; Alfredo Ramos Martínez, Calla Lily Vendor, 1929; Frida Kahlo, Two Women (Salvadora and Herminia), 1928. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: José Clemente Orozco, Reproduction of Prometheus, 1930; Alfredo Ramos Martínez, The Malinche (Young Girl of Yalala, Oaxaca), c. 1940. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: Alfredo Ramos Martínez, The Malinche (Young Girl of Yalala, Oaxaca), c. 1940; Excerpt from Tehuantepec, Mexico, 1940s; Frida Kahlo, Me and My Parrots, 1941; Alfredo Ramos Martínez, Calla Lily Vendor, 1929; Frida Kahlo, Two Women (Salvadora and Herminia), 1928. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Jackson Pollock, The Flame, 1934–38; José Clemente Orozco, The Fire, 1938; Jackson Pollock, Composition with Ritual Scene, 1938–41; Everett Gee Jackson, Embarkation, 1938; José Clemente Orozco, Landscape of Peaks, 1943. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Jackson Pollock, The Flame, 1934–38; José Clemente Orozco, The Fire, 1938; Jackson Pollock, Composition with Ritual Scene, 1938–41; Everett Gee Jackson, Embarkation, 1938. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: José Clemente Orozco, Christ Destroying His Cross, 1943; Jackson Pollock, Untitled (Naked Man with Knife), c. 1938-40. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: José Clemente Orozco, Prometheus, 1930; Charles White, Hear This, 1942; Jackson Pollock, Naked Man, c. 1938–41. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: Alfredo Ramos Martínez, The Protector, 1932; Alfredo Ramos Martínez, The Bondage of War, 1939; Fletcher Martin, Trouble in Frisco, 1938; Philip Guston, Bombardment, 1937-38. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: Luis Arenal, The Fanatic, c. 1935; Eitarō Ishigaki, The Bonus March, 1932. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: Hale Woodruff, The Mutiny on the Amistad (second version), c. 1941; Hale Woodruff, The Trial of the Amistad Captives (second version), c. 1941; Hale Woodruff, The Repatriation of the Freed Captives (second version), c. 1941; David Alfaro Siqueiros, Proletarian Mother, 1929; Philip Guston, Reuben Kadish, and Jules Langsner, Reproduction of The Struggle against Terrorism (The Struggle against War and Fascism), 1934-35. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: Charles White, Progress of the American Negro: Five Great American Negroes, 1939–40; Edward Millman, Cartoon for Contribution of Women to the Progress of Mankind mural, Lucy Flower High School, Chicago, Illinois, 1936. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Aaron Douglas, Aspiration, 1936; Aaron Douglas, Into Bondage, 1936. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: Diego Rivera, Pneumatic Drilling, 1931-32; Harold Lehman, The Driller (mural, Rikers Island, New York), 1937; Diego Rivera, Panoramic view of Detroit Industry, 1932-33. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: Diego Rivera, Electric Power, 1931-32; Ben Shahn, The Riveter (mural study, Bronx, New York central post station), 1938; Philip Evergood, Steelworkers, n.d. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: Henry Bernstein, Fabricating Steel (mural study, Midland, Michigan, Post Office), c. 1934-43; Marion Greenwood, Construction Worker (study for Blueprint for Living, a Federal Art Project mural, Red Hook Community Buidling, Brooklyn, New York), 1940; Ben Shahn, Parade for Repeal, c. 1934; Belle Baranceanu, The Progress of Man, 1935. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Diego Rivera, Study for Colonial America, from Portrait of America, c. 1933; Diego Rivera, Reproduction of Man, Controller of the Universe, 1934; Hugo Gellert, Us Fellas Gotta Stick Together (The Last Defenses of Capitalism), 1932; Ben Shahn, The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti, 1932. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Hugo Gellert, Us Fellas Gotta Stick Together (The Last Defenses of Capitalism), 1932; Ben Shahn, The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti, 1932. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). Diego Rivera, Reproduction of Man, Controller of the Universe, 1934. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Eitarō Ishigaki, Soldiers of the People’s Front (The Zero Hour), c. 1936–37; David Alfaro Siqueiros, Proletarian Victim, 1933. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: David Alfaro Siqueiros, Our Present Image, 1947; David Alfaro Siqueiros, Echo of a Scream, 1937; Mitchell Siporin, Cartoon for Abraham Lincoln and John Peter Altgeld mural, U.S. Post Office, Decatur, Illinois, c. 1938. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: David Alfaro Siqueiros, War, 1939; Jackson Pollock, Composition with Flames, 1936; David Alfaro Siqueiros, Our Present Image, 1947. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: David Alfaro Siqueiros, The Electric Forest, 1939; Jackson Pollock, Landscape with Steer, c. 1936–37. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: Charles White, Progress of the American Negro: Five Great American Negroes, 1939-40; Edward Millman, Cartoon for Contribution of Women to the Progress of Mankind mural, Lucy Flower High School, Chicago, Illinois, 1936. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: Diego Rivera, Dance in Tehuantepec, 1928; Edward Weston, Pyramid of the Sun, 1923; Lola Álvarez Bravo, Untitled, n.d.; Edward Weston, Maguey Cactus, Mexico, 1926 (printed later); Sergei Eisenstein, Excerpt from ¡Que viva Mexico!, 1932. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: Mardonio Magaña, Motherhood, 1931; Rufino Tamayo, Man and Woman, 1926; Edward Weston, Pyramid of the Sun, 1923; Lola Álvarez Bravo, Untitled, n.d.; Edward Weston, Maguey Cactus, Mexico, 1926 (printed later). Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: Miguel Covarrubias, Flower Vendor, late 1940s; Mardonio Magaña, Mother with a Child on Her Back, 1933; Tina Modotti, Woman of Tehuantepec, 1929; Mitchell Siporin, Sweet Georgia Brown in Arizona, 1936; Howard Cook, Acapulco Girl (Cocoanut Palm), 1932; Henrietta Shore, Women of Oaxaca, 1927. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: Alfredo Ramos Martínez, The Malinche (Young Girl of Yalala, Oaxaca), c. 1940; Tina Modotti, Bandolier, Corn, Sickle, 1927; Tina Modotti, Campesinos Reading “El Machete”, 1929; Tina Modotti, Workers’ Parade, 1926; Luis Arenal, Zapatista, n.d.; Alfredo Ramos Martínez, Zapatistas, 1932. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: José Clemente Orozco, Rear Guard, 1929; José Clemente Orozco, The Flag, 1928; José Clemente Orozco, The Executed, 1926-28; José Clemente Orozco, Requiem, 1928; Mardonio Magaña, Man with Sarape and Sombrero, 1935; José Clemente Orozco, Pancho Villa, 1931. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: Jacob Lawrence, Panel 3 from The Migration Series, From every Southern town migrants left by the hundreds to travel north., 1940–41; Jacob Lawrence, Panel 13 from The Migration Series, The crops were left to dry and rot. There was no one to tend them., 1940–41; Jacob Lawrence, Panel 17 from The Migration Series, Tenant farmers received harsh treatment at the hands of planters., 1940–41; Jacob Lawrence, Panel 23 from The Migration Series, The migration spread., 1940–41; Jacob Lawrence, Panel 29 from The Migration Series, The labor agent recruited unsuspecting laborers as strike breakers for northern industries., 1940–41; Jacob Lawrence, Panel 37 from The Migration Series, Many migrants found work in the steel industry., 1940–41; Jacob Lawrence, Panel 41 from The Migration Series, The South was desperate to keep its cheap labor. Northern labor agents were jailed or forced to operate in secrecy., 1940–41; Jacob Lawrence, Panel 47 from The Migration Series, As the migrant population grew, good housing became scarce., 1940–41; Jacob Lawrence, Panel 51 from The Migration Series, African Americans seeking to find better housing attempted to move into new areas. This resulted in the bombing of their new homes., 1940–41; Jacob Lawrence, Panel 57 from The Migration Series, The female workers were the last to arrive north., 1940–41. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: Jackson Pollock, Untitled (Figure Composition), 1928-41; Jackson Pollock, Untitled, c. 1939-42; José Clemente Orozco, Study for Ancient Human Sacrifice, panel 3 from The Epic of American Civilization, 1930–34; Jackson Pollock, Untitled (Bald Woman with Skeleton), c. 1938-41; José Clemente Orozco, Study for The Departure of Quetzalcoatl, panel 7 from The Epic of American Civilization, 1930–34; José Clemente Orozco, Study for Gods of the Modern World, panel 15 from The Epic of American Civilization, 1932–34; Jackson Pollock, Untitled (Figure Composition), 1938-41. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: Diego Rivera, The Flowered Barge, 1931; Diego Rivera, Flower Festival: Feast of Santa Anita, 1931. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: Bendor Mark, Execution, 1940; David Alfaro Siqueiros, Photodocumentation of Tropical America, 1932. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: Emil Bisttram, Detail, Justice Tempered with Mercy, Uphold the Right/Prevent the Wrong (mural study for Roswell, New Mexico Courthouse), 1936; Seymour Fogel, Security of the People (Study for mural, Old Social Security building, Washington, DC), 1941; Thelma Johnson Streat, The Negro in Professional Life—Mural Study Featuring Women in the Workplace, 1944; Ben Shahn, Study for Jersey Homesteads Mural, c. 1936. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: Bendor Mark, Two Men Pushing Cart, 1939; Michael Lenson, Mining (mural study, Mount Hope, West Virginia Post Office), c. 1933–43; Xavier González, Tung Oil Industry (Study for Covington, Louisiana Post Office Mural), 1939; Philip Guston, Study for Queensbridge Housing Project, 1939. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17-May 17, 2020). From left to right: Marion Greenwood, Water and Soil, 1937; Hugo Gellert, Us Fellas Gotta Stick Together (The Last Defenses of Capitalism), 1932; Ben Shahn, The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti, 1932; Bendor Mark, Two Men Pushing Cart, 1939. Photograph by Ron Amstutz