Press conference: 17 Mar 2005, 10:30 am
Opening: 17 Mar 2005, 7:30 pm
Exhibition period: 18 Mar – 12 Jun 2005

From March to June 2005, the Essl Collection is the setting for a unique exhibition on artwork from Mexico: on show are paintings from the 1920s to the 80s as well as selected prints. For the first time ever these 59 exhibits by more than 30 Mexican artists, on loan from the Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico City, can be seen outside this Museum, where they were presented until now only in the permanent collection.

FRIDA KAHLO: The Two Fridas Las dos Fridas (1939) oil on canvas, 174 x 173 cm © Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City		DIEGO RIVERA: Portrait of Lupe Marin Retrato de Lupe Marin (1938) oil on canvas, 172 x 122 cm © Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City

The term Mexican Modernism and its typical manifestations of the Mexicanidad (Mexicanism) describes an artistic development that finds its origin in the Mexican Revolution of 1910. After crises in the agricultural and social sector, variously oriented popular movements fight for a basic reorganization of the state. The revolutionary leader Emiliano Zapata becomes a symbolic figure. After seven years a modern constitution is established, a new Mexican mentality is consolidated. This new attitude can be traced, above all, in the creative oeuvre of the Mexican artists: in this respect, Diego Riveras' intellectual stance and socio-political engagement is particularly striking. The central subjects of the wall paintings (murales) and of the parallel panel paintings are Indian and Aztec myths with colourful symbols and traditional costumes as well as the praise for indigenous Mexican habits. This art form is marked on the one hand by a trend towards the spiritual and towards self-analysis. On the other hand, however, it also perceives the human being in society. The boundless love of the artists for their country is always the guiding light for their depiction of Mexican everyday life and traditions. In this way, the exhibition provides by way of extraordinary exhibits a comprehensive insight into Mexican Modernism.

Within Mexican art development, which is strongly influenced by European art, some artists have attained world fame: firstly, the artistic couple Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. The exhibition in the gallery rooms of the Essl Collection presents key works by these two artists, among them the painting Las dos Fridas (Two Fridas) by Frida Kahlo from the year 1939. By Diego Rivera, among others the large-format portrait Retrato de Lupe Marin (Portrait of Lupe Marin) can be seen.

JOSÉ DAVID ALFARO SIQUEIROS: Unser gegenwärtiges Bildnis Our Present Image (1947) pyroxylin on celotex / glas fibre, 222 x 175 cm © Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City		RUFINO TAMAYO: Self Portrait Autorretrato (1967) oil on canvas, 178 x 127 cm © Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City

Apart from these main protagonists, other important Mexican artists are presented as well: José Clemente Orozcos' painting Prometeo (Prometheus) is an example of exaggerated expressivity, José David Alfaro Siqueiros, whose world-famous painting Nuestra imagen actual (Our Image at Present) is on show here, taught among others Jackson Pollock in a workshop in the United States in 1935 and exerted a strong influence on this artist. Rufino Tamayo is represented in this exhibition with four very beautiful, large-format and abstract paintings.

Masterpieces from the Essl Collection in Mexico City

On 9th June 2005, in return an exhibition with exhibits from the Essl Collection is opened in the Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico City. This exhibition encompasses 66 pieces and presents a significant overview of the holdings of the Essl Collection. The high-quality exhibition features on the one hand major works from the art collection Agnes and Karlheinz Essl, on the other hand it reflects the most important Austrian and international artistic developments of the past 50 years, particularly as regards the medium of painting.

Both exhibitions are accompanied by a catalogue in German/English or in Spanish/English respectively with textual contributions on art history and pictures of all pieces on show in the exhibitions. A comprehensive education programme in the Essl Collection supplements the exhibition.

Catalogue

MEXICAN MODERNISM Masterpieces from the Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City German and english. 144 pages with numerous color images and biographies of the artists. With articles by Sari Bermúdez, Karlheinz Essl, Saúl Juárez Vega, Luis-Martín Lozano, Laura González Matute and Ursula Plassnik. Edition Sammlung Essl Privatstiftung: Klosterneuburg 2005 OUT OF PRINT! ISBN 3-902001-20-8

Sound environment

SEELEWASCHEN Generative sound environment by Karlheinz Essl 18.03.2005 – 12.06.2005, Sammlung Essl - BlackBox As an accompaniment for a video projection of so-called Murales (wall paintings) by Rievera, Orozcos und Siqueiros, the composer Karlheinz Essl set up his sound environment SEELEWASCHEN in the BlackBox of the Essl Collection.

Press release

MEXICAN MODERNISM press information in PDF format