Ivonne Kennedy.

Ivonne Kennedy: Oaxacan painter with international sensibility

Don’t let the name fool you, Ivonne Kennedy is a genuine Oaxacan painter—but on her own terms. Kennedy was born in 1971 in the city of Oaxaca. While ‘foreign’ last names are not terribly uncommon in Mexico, they are pretty rare in Oaxaca, and ‘foreign’ first names even more so. So, quickly, before we get […]

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Minseok Chi. 2016. Buddha. © Leigh Thelmadatter 2020

Foreign artists influence Mexican culture and vice versa

You are reading part 2 of Foreign artists in Mexico from the Revolution to the present. Part 1 – Mexico attracts artists from all over the globe Mexico’s art history and foreign artists Mexico’s art history of the past 100 years has basically been a shift to internationalism, with some hiccups during times of national […]

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Lao Gabrielli. Expansión Cromática. © Leigh Thelmadatter 2020

Mexico attracts artists from all over the globe

You are reading part 1 of Foreign artists in Mexico from the Revolution to the present. Part 2 (coming shortly) – Foreign artists influence Mexican culture and vice versa In 1863, French writer and critic Charles Baudelaire did not consider an artist to be “worldly” but rather like a “serf to the soil,” dedicated to […]

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Juan Compo. Tree Goddess

Juan Compo and his Ancient American Goddess Art

Ancient American Goddess images by Juan Compo, in paintings, murals, wall hangings, posters and fabrics, are now in private collections in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Juan Compo is the name chosen by a fifth generation Canadian artist who built his Mexican studio in Ajijic on Lake Chapala in 1991. Viewers of a like-mind are […]

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Angustia. (Mexican Muralists: The Big Three - Orozco, Rivera and Siqueiros)

David Alfaro Siqueiros (1896-1974)

Fue el muralista más activo, en cuanto a la política se refiere. Siqueiros fue encarcelado unas siete veces y otras exiliado, a causa de sus creencias Marxista-Stalinistas. Estuvo activo en las revoluciones contra Huerta y peleó del lado republicano en la Guerra Civil Española. Como tenía nexos con otras organizaciones de artistas, viajó a la […]

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Day of the Dead in Mexican folk art © Mary Jane Gagnier Mendoza 2003

Dia de los Muertos: the dead come to life in Mexican folk art

Day of the Dead in Mexican folk art © Mary Jane Gagnier Mendoza 2003 For foreigners, the traditions and celebrations in Mexican homes and cemeteries during the Day of the Dead seem strange, if not incomprehensible. There is mourning and rejoicing; sadness and silliness – woven together into one emotional fabric. To me, it’s like […]

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