From next Thursday, September 26 to February 16, 2025, the Casa de México Foundation presents the exhibition Modern art of Mexico, from the collection Blaisten, one of the most important private collections of modern art in Mexico.
Curated by Daniel Garza Usabiaga, presents an innovative reading of this collection through the ideas of Margarita Nelken, Spanish intellectual exiled in Mexico who enriched the cultural debate and made discussions about art in the country more complex. In Garza Usabiaga’s reading, one can appreciate Nelken’s vision of the evolution of modern Mexican art, her criticism of the institutionalization of certain styles and her support for artistic diversity and links with historical and local references.
Modern Art of Mexico presents a selection of 64 works from the collection of paintings and sculptures by some of the most important modern artists in the country: Diego Rivera, Maria Izquierdo, Dr. Atl, Alfaro Siqueiros, Rufino Tamayo, Jose Clemente Orozco, Saturnino Herran, Jose Guadalupe Posada, among others. The exhibition displays eleven heritage works, some of these: Allegory of Mexicoby José Clemente Orozco; Cupboard, by Maria Izquierdo; The night of the radishes, by Diego Rivera; Portrait of Nora Beteta, by David Alfaro Siqueiros; Young man with pumpkin, by Saturnino Herrán, and View of Popocatépetl, de Dr. Atl.
The point of connection between the author and the collector is the study and interest in artistic practices that occurred outside of muralism during the first half of the 20th century. This exhibition, therefore, covers the development of modern art in Mexico from the 1940s until Nelken’s death in 1968.
