Leopoldo Méndez, “Homenaje a José Guadalupe Posada” (Homage to José Guadalupe Posada), 1956.
The Syracuse University Art Galleries presents “Print Making Revolution: Mexican Prints and the Taller de Gráfica Popular,” an exhibition of more than 130 original prints drawn from the Syracuse University Art Collection, as well as lenders that include the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Herbert F. Johnson Museum, Library of Congress and the Blanton Museum of Art.
Curated by SUArt Galleries Assistant Director Andrew J. Saluti, this exhibition will introduce the Central New York community to important Mexican artists and post-Mexican Revolution artwork, with emphasis on the prints produced at the Taller de Gráfica Popular (The People’s Graphic Workshop), or TGP. Founded by Leopoldo Méndez, Luis Arenal and American-born Pablo O’Higgins, this influential workshop advanced a variety of revolutionary ideals and causes, including the formation of organized labor, the fight for civil rights and an active campaign against fascism.
The exhibition will open Nov. 7 and run until Jan. 12, 2014, in the Shaffer Art Building at Syracuse University. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; and Thursdays 11 a.m.-8 p.m. The SUArt Galleries will host a free opening night reception from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 14. Patrons are welcome to view the exhibition until the gallery closes at 8 p.m. The reception is open to the public.
“Print Making Revolution” is organized into four subjects. The first acts as precursor to the TGP, highlighting the work of artists who helped to define the Mexican print landscape early in the 20th century. These figures include José Gaudalupe Posada, Jean Charlot and the “Big Three”: Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco and David Siqueiros. The exhibition then transitions into the artists of the TGP, with emphasis on the Taller’s director, Méndez, but also includes Ángel Bracho, Isidoro Ocampo and Alfredo Zalce, among others.
Angel Bracho, “Victoria! Los Artistas de Taller de Grafica Popular,” 1945
The third part of the exhibition focuses on the linocut portfolio Estampas de la Revolución Mexicana, a vividly illustrated narration of the Mexican Revolution, published by the workshop in 1947. Shown in its entirety, the portfolio contains 84 original prints by 16 artists.
Finally, the exhibition highlights the gringos—Americans working at the TGP during the early and influential days of the prolific workshop, including John Woodrow Wilson, Mariana Yampolsky and Elizabeth Catlett. The impact of the TGP reached well beyond the conventional boundaries of art making, affecting political and social movements in Mexico and the United States.
The exhibition includes a number of prints loaned from museums around the country. Collaborating institutions include the Library of Congress, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, the Blanton Museum of Art, the Art/Music Library at the University of Rochester and the University of New Mexico Art Museum. This exhibition is funded in part through a grant from The IFPDA Foundation. Presented concurrently with the exhibition “Paul Strand: The Mexican Portfolio,” this exhibition continues the yearlong celebration of international art and artists at the Syracuse University Art Galleries.
Select programming associated with the exhibition includes a Lunchtime Lecture with the curator of the exhibition, Andrew Saluti, on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 12:15 p.m., and an SUKids event on Nov. 16 and 17 at 2 p.m. The exhibition and programs are free and open to the public. Complete information, including parking information and related programming, is available by visiting the official exhibition website at http://suart.syr.edu/. Press material, including exhibition press release, exhibition publications, checklist and press ready images are available for download directly from the SUArt Galleries website at http://suart.syr.edu/media-2/press-materials/.
