The Latin perspective
LACMA, other museums offer fresh, nuanced looks at the art of the Americas.
It’s only natural, given their proximity to Mexico and rapidly growing Latino constituencies, that California art museums would be engaged with Latin American material. But the robust lineup of exhibitions, exchanges and educational programs indicates that the days of focusing on historic “treasures” or romanticized figures such as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera are over.
Museum directors and curators are talking about examining fresh topics and weaving Latin American art into a global fabric — in projects that require inter-departmental collaboration, international networking and community outreach. From the classic to the grittily contemporary, Latin American art is just about everywhere this spring. The Los Angeles County Museum of and Bernard Lewin. Ilona Katzew, the museum’s in the works. While Long Beach’s Art is gearing up for its April 1 opening of first curator of Latin American art, Museum of Latin American Art continues “Children of the Plumed Serpent: The came aboard in 2000. Six years later, she to offer a steady flow of exhibitions and Legacy of Quetzalcoatl in Ancient Mexico,” joined forces with the late Virginia Fields, performances, at L.A.’S Museum of Contemporary an exploration of independent kingdoms a scholar of early Mesoamerican art and Art, curator Alma Ruiz, is extending in southern Mexico that established archaeology, to establish the Latin American her lengthy list of Latin American a vast international trade network. The art department. But Katzew and Govan projects with a traveling show of abstraction Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego stress that Latin American art has not made from the 1930s to the 1970s; it’s is planning its June 1launch of “Santa Ana been put in a cubbyhole. Govansays, “It’s a expected to open in 2014. Patrick Polk, a Condition: John Valadez 1976 to 2011,” the fundamental, central core of our program. curator at UCLA’S Fowler Museum, is first retrospective of the Mexican American We are looking at it as a museum-wide studying interpretations of death in Latin artist’s paintings, photographs and awareness of and investment in our American artworks for an exhibition, also pastels. In San Francisco, the Museum of present and future audience and culture.” scheduled for 2014. The USC Fisher Museum, Modern Art is opening “Photography in One result of the initiative, in the last under the leadership of Selma Holo, Mexico” on Saturday and preparing a fall five years, is the acquisition of about 2,000 has its eye on Latin America as well. installation of Mexican-canadian artist works: pre-columbian pieces from Mexico, Latin American art is most expansively Rafael Lozano-hemmer’s interactive video Guatemala and Colombia; Spanish colonial defined as encompassing works and sound work. painting and decorative arts; and from pre-columbian times to the present,
The action is most apparent at modern and contemporary works, including made by artists of South American, Central LACMA, where director Michael Govan “Burn, Baby, Burn,” a monumental American and Mexican heritage. It has overseen a quickening parade of exhibitions painting made in 1965-66 by Chilean-born isn’t easy for general art museums to figure covering a broad sweep of history. Roberto Matta. out where it belongs or for artists to “Children of the Plumed Serpent” will accompany Among innovative outreach efforts is a deal with geographic labels. “In Wonderland: The Surrealist series of shows organized by Jose Luis Valadez, 60, a native of Los Angeles primarily Adventures of Women Artists in Mexico Blondet, an associate curator in the museum’s known as a muralist and painter of and the United States” in the Resnick Pavilion, education department, for the largely realistic urban landscapes, doesn’t like to in the space recently occupied by Latino student body of Charles White analyze his work, much less “the whole “Contested Visions in the Spanish Colonial Elementary School, housed at the former Chicano thing,” he says. “How do we fit World.” “Olmec: Colossal Masterworks home of the Otis College of Art and Design with Latin American art? Or are we of Ancient Mexico” inaugurated the building near Macarthur Park. Works in a current American artists? The stuff that’s being in 2010. The recent “Asco: Elite of the exhibition, “A Is for Zebra,” grapple with talked about these days, I leave that up to Obscure, A Retrospective, 1972-1987,” a alphabets and language in images, ideas, other people. I am a picture maker. I’m interested landmark survey of Chicano performance sounds and stories. in the dynamics of people.” and conceptual art, was part of the Gettysponsored “It’s a great starting point — firstgrade For Hugh Davies, who directs San Diego’s Pacific Standard Timecelebration kids in L.A.,” Govan says. “In Los Museum of Contemporary Art, the of Los Angeles’ rise as an art center. Angeles public schools, you have the challenge retrospective of Valadez’s studio work exemplifies
LACMA declared a stepped-up interest of teaching kids English as well as the institution’s commitment to in Latin American art in 1997 with the the subject matter. Art is a fantastic way serve under-recognized artists. “He is an acquisition of about 2,000 Mexican modernist to bridge those issues.” incredibly talented artist who has not had works from the collection of Edith Many other institutions have exhibitions the attention he deserves,” says Davies,