Expresiones de México, Arte de la Gente / Art of the People

April 14, 2023 – August 20, 2023

Following the revolution in the 1920s Mexico’s leaders sought to define and promote Mexico’s culture and art to its people and the world. This campaign included looking to artists from regions all over Mexico. The search for a neatly defined Mexican art form is a difficult task to take on. The vast number of Mexican artists, both past and present, produce a wide variety of artworks. Their artworks also come in a great assortment of styles, subjects, and mediums. To this day, artists from all over Mexico master and share their practices with their communities and the world.

With Expresiones de México, Arte de la Gente / Art of the People Mexic-Arte Museum presents the impressive collection of artworks created by many artists utilizing techniques and skills passed down through generations.

This collection has been compiled over the course of the nearly forty years of Mexic-Arte Museum’s history. This exhibition will give light to some of the key master artists in Mexico that have made this art so sought after by people around the world. Expresiones de México, Arte de la Gente / Art of the People includes artwork from pivotal artists, including Irene Aguilar, Josefina Aguilar, Juan Orta Castillo, Luis Manuel Morales Gamez, Irma García Blanco, Tiburcio Soteno Hernández, Ángel Santos Juárez, Sergio Lejarazu, Felipe Linares, Herón Martínez Mendoza, Teodora Blanco Núñez, Gorky González Quiñones, Guadalupe García Ríos, Sergio Sánchez Santamariá, anonymous artists, and more.

The exhibit will feature work by Master Printmaker, Sergio Sánchez Santamariá with his work Los Chinelos, Portfolio of 11 linocuts. Chinelos are a kind of traditional costumed dancer which is popular in the Mexican state of Morelos. The tradition arose from the blending of indigenous and Catholic traditions, most notably Carnival, with its permission to be masked and to mock. The artwork by these people expresses the variety and vibrancy of these artforms that, for many, are emblematic of Mexico’s creativity and culture.

The artworks in this exhibition represent generous donations by significant donors including Patricia and Carmine DeVivi, Robert Hollingsworth, Ed Jordan, Joyce and David Moss, Priscilla Murr, Juan Antonio Sandoval Jr., David Wilkinson, Marilyn Wood, and others. Donations from valued collectors evidence the continued role of Mexic-Arte Museum as an entrusted steward of art in Austin for nearly four decades.

The artwork in Expresiones de México, Arte de la Gente / Art of the People spans the gamut of tradition, technique, beauty, and time and Mexic-Arte Museum welcomes the community to share in the enjoyment, discovery, and appreciation of these incredible artworks and traditions.

Thank you to our generous Sponsors

This project is supported in part by the City of Austin Economic Development Department.