"Bridging the Border: Shared Themes in Mexican and U.S. Art 1900 – 1950"
2003-03-18 until 2003-06-08
Davis Museum and Cultural Center
Wellesley, MA, USA

The exhibition examines points of comparison between American and Mexican art through works on paper drawn from the permanent collection of the Davis Museum. The United States and Mexico share a long and complex history yet an artificial border exists in museums and classrooms that separate the art histories of these countries, according to curators and faculty members Rebecca Bedell and James Oles.

Four themes: The City, Rural Traditions, Responses to European Modernism, and Protest and Persuasion break the show into sections that highlight areas of exchange during the first fifty years of the 20th century. Each category compares works by artists from each country, throwing into focus significant differences as well as similarities in form and meaning.

This display of prints, drawings, and photographs range from compelling but forgotten images to classic masterworks. Some of these pieces have been rarely exhibited and several are new museum acquisitions. Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Thomas Hart Benton, Dorothea Lange, Leopoldo Méndez, Edward Weston, and Hale Woodruff are among the artists whose work are featured. A few of the Americans such as Weston and Woodruff, worked in both countries, supplying evidence of a cross-cultural exchange.

IMAGE:
Leopoldo Méndez,
Untitled (Rally), ca. 1930.
Wood engraving,
7 7/8 x 8 15/16 inches
Anonymous gift,1996.8.

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for the State of Massachusetts

Other Important Exhibitions in Massachusetts