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Mexikanische Grafik

The Kunsthaus Zürich presents an overview of the development of Mexican graphic art, from late 19th-century figurativism to the earliest abstract works in the 1970s, thanks to a collection of Mexican graphic art donated by the Swiss photographer Armin Haab. This collection comprises works (drawings and prints) by 65 artists who were born or lived in Mexico. The exhibition presents selected pieces from this collection, centring on important prints produced in a variety of techniques from the late 19th century to the 1970s. Some outstanding works come from the Taller de Gráfica Popular – a people’s graphic art workshop established in 1937 by a collective of international artists in Mexico, whose members produced flyers and posters for the masses supporting trade unions, popular education and socialist issues in the country. Revolutionary ideas and engagement with socio-cultural and socio-political concerns play a key role in the history of Mexican art. The editions published by the Taller de Gráfica Popular/La Estampa Mexicana on show at the Kunsthaus exemplify the typical Mexican tradition of black-and-white woodcuts and linoleum prints. The images depict Mexican life and the customs and characteristics of its indigenous populations, but also include the country’s first forays into abstract art.
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