Jose Clemente Orozco is the mural king of Guadalajara. His “Man of Fire” mural at the Hospicio Cabanas Instituto Cultural is spectacular. His mural of Hidalgo at city hall – the Palacio del Gobierno – is also not to be missed. Included here are a few murals in San Blas and San Pancho, and a hotel in San Pancho with notable art.
A little visit to a Chinatown fish market is followed by an afternoon at the Museum of Modern Art. We end with a swing through the high line elevated park constructed on an old railroad line, and catch a glimpse of a public school mural.
In 1936 Leon Trotsky and his wife were granted asylum in Mexico. They settled in Coyoacan, on the outskirts of Mexico City, on a peaceful, tree-lined street a few blocks from Casa Azul, Frida Kahlo’s house. Now a museum maintained by a non-profit organization that helps other political dissidents seeking asylum in Mexico, the house is where Trotsky was killed and is buried.
The Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City is known for having the best permanent exhibition of work by painters and sculptors from the modern Mexican art movement. Representing the Mexican muralist movement are significant works by the three greats: Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros. Other favorites are by Frida Kahlo and Remedios Varo.
Most of the murals here are by Diego Rivera. The majority of them are in the National Palace, but we’ve also included ones from Bellas Artes, the performing arts palace, and the Hotel Reforma mural, which was later moved to the Museo Mural Diego Rivera. The museum was built to house the mural after the 1985 earthquake destroyed the hotel, but not the mural.
Most of the murals here are at the Ministry of Education building. We were lucky to gain admittance during the restoration process. It was quite interesting. Fearing that we would be asked to leave, we tried to shoot fast. Now we regret not having taken more time – not knowing when these murals will be accessible to the public again.
All of these figures were photographed in Mexico – except the last 5 which are from Brazil. A slide show of these Latino figures was used in an artist-in-residency at Eagle School in Madison, WI to show children how the human form is depicted in art.
Sharon says, “I went to the junior school at the Art Institute of Chicago during high school. This is my first visit to the new contemporary wing. I love seeing so many old and new favorites in one place. I love the light, but I am not happy about the random placement of work. I am especially displeased that Joseph Cornell’s boxes are displayed so high children cannot see them. They were some of my greatest inspirations growing up.”
“It all started with acid in the punch.”
“Art came out of a person’s heart and soul.”