Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945
Dates to be announced
Mexico underwent a radical cultural transformation at the end of its Revolution in 1920. A new relationship between art and the public was established, giving rise to art that spoke directly to the people about social justice and national life. The model galvanized artists in the United States who were seeking to break free of European aesthetic domination to create publicly significant and accessible native art. Numerous American artists traveled to Mexico, and the leading Mexican muralists—José Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera, and David Alfaro Siqueiros—spent extended periods of time in the United States, executing murals, paintings, and prints; exhibiting their work; and interacting with local artists. With approximately 200 works by sixty Mexican and American artists, this exhibition reorients art history by revealing the profound impact the Mexican muralists had on their counterparts in the United States during this period and the ways in which their example inspired American artists both to create epic narratives about American history and everyday life and to use their art to protest economic, social, and racial injustices.
This exhibition is organized by Barbara Haskell, curator, with Marcela Guerrero, assistant curator; Sarah Humphreville, senior curatorial assistant; and Alana Hernandez, former curatorial project assistant.
The lead sponsor for Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 is the Jerome L. Greene Foundation
This exhibition is also sponsored by Citi; Citibanamex, its Mexican affiliate; and Delta and Aeromexico.
and 
Major support is provided by the Judy Hart Angelo Exhibition Fund, the Barbara Haskell American Fellows Legacy Fund, the Henry Luce Foundation, the Terra Foundation for American Art, and the Whitney’s National Committee.
Generous support is provided by The Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J. Horowitz Foundation for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Ted and Mary Jo Shen.
Significant support is provided by the Alturas Foundation, Paul Arnhold, Wes Gordon and the Arnhold Foundation, the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Charitable Foundation, Blair and Cheryl Effron, Garrett Moran and Mary Penniman Moran, and Laurie M. Tisch.
Additional support is provided by Tony Bechara; Estrellita and Daniel Brodsky; Jeanne Donovan Fisher; the Garcia Family Foundation; the Judy and Stanley Katz Family Foundation; and the Robert Lehman Foundation, Inc.
Curatorial research and travel were funded by the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation.
New York magazine is the exclusive media sponsor.
En Español
Nos complace ofrecer los siguientes recursos y programas en español para Vida Americana: una guía portátil, traducciones de todos los videos relacionados a la exposición, visitas guiadas gratuitas de la exposición, y visitas guiadas gratuitas para las escuelas públicas de la ciudad de Nueva York. Todos los textos descriptivos de la exposición estarán en inglés y español en el Museo.
Videos
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Los Tres Grandes | Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945
The Abelardo L. Rodriguez Market | Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945
Essays
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América: El Muralismo Mexicano y el Arte
en Los Estados Unidos, 1925–1945Esta es una traducción al español de un fragmento del ensayo de Barbara Haskell titulado "América: El muralismo mexicano y el arte en los Estados Unidos, 1925–1945," reeditado a partir del catálogo de la exposición Vida americana: Los muralistas mexicanos rehacen el arte estadounidense, 1925–1945.
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América: Mexican Muralism and Art in The United States, 1925–1945
This is an excerpt from Barbara Haskell's essay "América: Mexican Muralism and Art in The United States, 1925–1945," republished from the exhibition catalogue Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945.
Audio Guides
“[Rivera] was fascinated by the ways in which man and machinery meet, and the ways in which they change the world together.” —Mark Castro
Hear from artists, scholars, and the curators of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 speaking about works on view.
Installation Photography
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Diego Rivera, The Flowered Barge, 1931; Diego Rivera, Flower Festival: Feast of Santa Anita, 1931; Everett Gee Jackson, Women with Cactus, 1928; María Izquierdo, My Nieces, 1940. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Everett Gee Jackson, Women with Cactus, 1928; María Izquierdo, My Nieces, 1940; Excerpt from Tehuantepec, Mexico, 1940s. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Everett Gee Jackson, Women with Cactus, 1928; María Izquierdo, My Nieces, 1940; Excerpt from Tehuantepec, Mexico, 1940s. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Edward Weston, Pyramid of the Sun, 1923; Lola Álvarez Bravo, Untitled, n.d.; Edward Weston, Maguey Cactus, Mexico, 1926 (printed later); Sergei Eisenstein, Excerpt from ¡Que viva Mexico!, 1932; Diego Rivera, Agrarian Leader Zapata, 1931; Philip Guston, Reuben Kadish, and Jules Langsner, Reproduction of The Struggle against Terrorism (The Struggle against War and Fascism), 1934–35; Alfredo Ramos Martínez, The Protector, 1932; Alfredo Ramos Martínez, The Bondage of War, 1939; Diego Rivera, The Flowered Barge, 1931; Diego Rivera, Flower Festival: Feast of Santa Anita, 1931. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Martin Fletcher, Trouble in Frisco, 1938; David Alfaro Siqueiros, Zapata, 1931; Diego Rivera, The Flowered Barge (La Canoa Enflorada), 1931; Diego Rivera, Flower Festival (Fiesta de Flores): Feast of Santa Anita, 1931; Diego Rivera, The Uprising, 1931. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Alfredo Ramos Martínez, The Malinche (Young Girl of Yalala, Oaxaca), c. 1940; Excerpt from Tehuantepec, Mexico, 1940s; Frida Kahlo, Me and My Parrots, 1941; Alfredo Ramos Martínez, Calla Lily Vendor, 1929; Frida Kahlo, Two Women (Salvadora and Herminia), 1928. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Alfredo Ramos Martínez, The Protector, 1932; Alfredo Ramos Martínez, The Bondage of War, 1939; Fletcher Martin, Trouble in Frisco, 1938; Philip Guston, Bombardment, 1937-38. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: David Alfaro Siqueiros, Zapata, 1931; José Clemente Orozco, Zapatistas, 1931. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Mardonio Magaña, Man with Sarape and Sombrero, 1935; José Clemente Orozco, Pancho Villa, 1931; José Clemente Orozco, Barricade, 1931; Diego Rivera, The Uprising, 1931. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: José Clemente Orozco, Reproduction of Prometheus, 1930; Alfredo Ramos Martínez, The Malinche (Young Girl of Yalala, Oaxaca), c. 1940; Frida Kahlo, Me and My Parrots, 1941; Alfredo Ramos Martínez, Calla Lily Vendor, 1929; Frida Kahlo, Two Women (Salvadora and Herminia), 1928. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: José Clemente Orozco, Reproduction of Prometheus, 1930; Alfredo Ramos Martínez, The Malinche (Young Girl of Yalala, Oaxaca), c. 1940. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Jackson Pollock, The Flame, 1934–38; José Clemente Orozco, The Fire, 1938; Jackson Pollock, Composition with Ritual Scene, 1938–41; Everett Gee Jackson, Embarkation, 1938; José Clemente Orozco, Landscape of Peaks, 1943. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: José Clemente Orozco, Prometheus, 1930; Charles White, Hear This, 1942; Jackson Pollock, Naked Man, c. 1938–41. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Hale Woodruff, The Mutiny on the Amistad (second version), c. 1941; Hale Woodruff, The Trial of the Amistad Captives (second version), c. 1941; Hale Woodruff, The Repatriation of the Freed Captives (second version), c. 1941; David Alfaro Siqueiros, Proletarian Mother, 1929; Philip Guston, Reuben Kadish, and Jules Langsner, Reproduction of The Struggle against Terrorism (The Struggle against War and Fascism), 1934-35. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Aaron Douglas, Aspiration, 1936; Aaron Douglas, Into Bondage, 1936. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Diego Rivera, Study for Colonial America, from Portrait of America, c. 1933; Diego Rivera, Reproduction of Man, Controller of the Universe, 1934; Hugo Gellert, Us Fellas Gotta Stick Together (The Last Defenses of Capitalism), 1932; Ben Shahn, The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti, 1932. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Hugo Gellert, Us Fellas Gotta Stick Together (The Last Defenses of Capitalism), 1932; Ben Shahn, The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti, 1932. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). Diego Rivera, Reproduction of Man, Controller of the Universe, 1934. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: Eitarō Ishigaki, Soldiers of the People’s Front (The Zero Hour), c. 1936–37; David Alfaro Siqueiros, Proletarian Victim, 1933. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: David Alfaro Siqueiros, The Electric Forest, 1939; Jackson Pollock, Landscape with Steer, c. 1936–37. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 17–May 17, 2020). From left to right: David Alfaro Siqueiros, Our Present Image, 1947; David Alfaro Siqueiros, Echo of a Scream, 1937; Mitchell Siporin, Cartoon for Abraham Lincoln and John Peter Altgeld mural, U.S. Post Office, Decatur, Illinois, c. 1938. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Exhibition Catalogue
The catalogue for Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 offers an in-depth look at the transformative influence of the Mexican muralists on U.S. artists during a period of tremendous social change. Edited by curator Barbara Haskell, the book also features essays by Mark A. Castro, Dafne Cruz Porchini, Renato González Mello, Marcela Guerrero, Andrew Hemingway, Anna Indych-López, Michael K. Schuessler, Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw, ShiPu Wang, and James Wechsler.
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In the News
"‘Vida Americana’ Is the Most Relevant Show of the 21st Century" —Vulture
"The show is stupendous, and complicated, and lands right on time." —The New York Times
"[A]fter 'Vida Americana' the history of American art doesn’t remain quite the same." —The Wall Street Journal
"[S]hines a light on the Mexican artists whose politically charged, populist work shaped some of the most significant American artists of the 20th century" —Time
"The exhibition is a major statement from a museum devoted to the history of American art." —artnet News
"Beyond the wall: a golden period of exchange between Mexican and US artists is revisited" —The Art Newspaper
"Vida Americana reveals the seismic impact of Mexican art" —artdaily
"[A] gorgeous guide to understanding the importance of social realist muralism and the power of public art" —Juxtapoz
"[A]n eye-opening new exhibition" —CNN
"Electrifying" —Financial Times
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