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Vida Americana

Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945
By Barbara Haskell
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Vida Americana explores the profound impact of Mexican muralists like José Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera, and David Alfaro Siqueiros on American artists during the early 20th century. Amid social change and the Great Depression, these artists' monumental public murals introduced new aesthetics and political themes, influencing over 70 key figures such as Jackson Pollock and Philip Guston. The book reveals a rich cultural exchange that reshaped art in the United States between 1925 and 1945.
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Format: Hardback
$13199
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Ideal for readers interested in art history, cultural exchange, and the intersection of politics and visual arts. Suitable for students, scholars, and art enthusiasts eager to understand the Mexican influence on American art.

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An in-depth look at the transformative influence of Mexican artists on their U.S. counterparts during a period of social change

The first half of the 20th century saw prolific cultural exchange between the United States and Mexico, as artists and intellectuals traversed the countries’ shared border in both directions. For U.S. artists, Mexico’s monumental public murals portraying social and political subject matter offered an alternative aesthetic at a time when artists were seeking to connect with a public deeply affected by the Great Depression.

The Mexican influence grew as the artists José Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera, and David Alfaro Siqueiros traveled to the United States to exhibit, sell their work, and make large-scale murals. They worked side-by-side with local artists, who often served as their assistants, and taught them the fresco technique.

Vida Americana examines the impact of their work on more than 70 artists, including Marion Greenwood, Philip Guston, Isamu Noguchi, Jackson Pollock, and Charles White. It provides a new understanding of art history, one that acknowledges the wide-ranging and profound influence the Mexican muralists had on the style, subject matter, and ideology of art in the United States between 1925 and 1945.

Published in association with the Whitney Museum of American Art

Exhibition Schedule:

Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
(February 17–May 17, 2020)

McNay Art Museum, San Antonio
(June 25–October 4, 2020)

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“If you aren’t in New York to see the show, the beautifully illustrated catalog, published by Yale University Press, offers great consolation.” —Los Angeles Times

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780300246698

Publisher: Yale University Press

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 18 February 2020

Country: United States

Imprint: Yale University Press

Illustration: 139 color + 57 b-w illus., including 2 gatefolds

Contributors:

  • Contributions by Mark A. Castro
  • Contributions by Dafne Cruz Porchini
  • Contributions by Renato González Mello
  • Contributions by Marcela Guerrero
  • Contributions by Andrew Hemingway
  • Contributions by Anna Indych-López
  • Contributions by Michael K. Schuessler
  • Contributions by Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 248.0mm

Height: 305.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 264

Collections

American & Canadian History Arts & Culture Barbara Haskell History & Archaeology History & Military Non-Fiction

About the Author

Barbara Haskell is a curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.

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