Virtual ArtTrek to “Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945”

In February 2020, Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945, made its debut at the Whitney Museum of American Art. In this edition of NEU To Do we virtually introduce visitors to the exhibition in lieu of the Neuberger ArtTrek that had been planned to the Whitney.

Vida Americana focuses on the influence of Mexico’s three leading muralists—José Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera, and David Alfaro Siqueiros—on the style, substance, and direction of art in the United States.

José Clemente Orozco (1883-1949) was a Mexican caricaturist and painter, who specialized in political murals that established the Mexican Mural Renaissance. His work, Untitled (Aztec Indian Scene), circa 1947, is part of the Neuberger Museum’s collection and an important component of Destination: Latin America, a five-part exhibition that takes a journey through twentieth- and twenty-first-century modern and contemporary Latin American art from the Neuberger collection.

DID YOU KNOW
Works by painter, printmaker, and sculptor Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991) also appear in both the Whitney and Neuberger shows. Artist Lola Alvarez Bravo is included in Vida Americana; her husband Manuel Alvarez Bravo is included in Destination: Latin America.

Visit the Inside the NEU- Destination: Latin America profile to learn more.

Learn more about Vida Americana in this short video by the Whitney Museum. (Click on the title to view in full screen.)

Visit the Vida Americana exhibition pages on the Whitney’s website to virtually explore the exhibition, see featured works in the show, listen to audio guides, read an excerpt of the curator’s essay, and more.

For those who wish to see the exhibition in person, The Whitney has reopened its doors to the public with guidelines in place for the safety and well-being of visitors and staff. All visitors and members must book timed tickets in advance.

Vida Americana will be on view through January 31, 2021.