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English Version | Versión español
Mexico and Modern Printmaking: A Revolution in the Graphic Arts, 1920–1950
Diego Rivera’s print of Zapata is part of Mexico and Modern Printmaking: A Revolution in the Graphic Arts, 1920–1950, a traveling
exhibition of over one hundred prints and posters made in Mexico following the Mexican Revolution (1910–20). During this
period, prints and posters became the ideal way to promote political, social, and artistic ideas as they were inexpensive to produce
and easy to distribute. Over the next thirty years, artists in Mexico brought printmaking to new heights, both as a modern art
form and as a tool for social change.
At the heart of the printmaking movement in Mexico was the Taller de Gráfica Popular (Graphic Workshop of the People),
or TGP, an artists’ cooperative founded with the goal of creating images for Mexican people. In addition to making limited-edition
prints for sale to collectors, the TGP published thousands of larger-scale posters to promote political ideals and social initiatives.
Though Rivera was not a member of the TGP, many of the artists represented in the Mexico and Modern Printmaking exhibition,
such as Leopoldo Méndez and Elizabeth Catlett, belonged to the cooperative.
 Leopoldo Méndez (Mexican, 1902–1969)
Posada in His Workshop (Homage to Posada), 1953
Linocut; block 14 x 25 1/2 inches
Published by the Taller de Gráfica Popular, Mexico City
McNay Art Museum, San Antonio: Gift of John Palmer Leeper, by exchange, 1998.2
Many TGP members took inspiration from the works of José Guadalupe Posada (Mexican, 1852–1913), whose inexpensive prints commenting on Mexican life and politics were widely sold in the streets and barrios of Mexico City. This print by Leopoldo Méndez depicts Posada in his workshop.
 Reading (Literacy), 1948 Elizabeth Catlett, American Lithograph Image: 11 7/8 x 16 1/2 inches (30.2 x 41.9 cm)
Sheet: 17 5/8 x 22 7/8 inches (44.8 x 58.1 cm) Purchased with the Lola Downin Peck Fund, the Carl and Laura Zigrosser Collection, and with the gift of Jay Richardson Massey in honor of Sarah d'Harnoncourt (by exchange), 1998
1998-55-1 [ More Details ]
This image by Elizabeth Catlett is typical of the work produced by the TGP. The print promoted public education and literacy at a time when children in many parts of Mexico were being sent to school for the first time.
English Version | Versión español
México y el Grabado Moderno: Una Revolución en las Artes Gráficas, 1920–1950
El grabado de Zapata creado por Rivera es parte de Mexico and Modern Printmaking: A Revolution in the Graphic Arts, 1920–1950, una exposición itinerante de más de cien grabados y carteles creados en México después de la Revolución Mexicana (1910–20).
Durante este período, los grabados y carteles se convirtieron en el medio ideal para promover ideas políticas, sociales, y artísticas,
ya que estos se producían a bajo costo y eran fáciles de distribuir. Durante los próximos treinta años, artistas en México convirtieron
el arte gráfi co en una expresión prominente en el arte moderno y en un instrumento de transformación social.
En el centro del movimiento gráfi co en México estaba el Taller de Gráfica Popular, o TGP, una cooperativa de artistas fundada
con el objetivo de crear imágenes para la gente mexicana. Además de crear grabados de ediciones limitadas para la venta a
coleccionistas, el TGP publicó miles de carteles de mayor escala para promover ideales políticos e iniciativas sociales. Aunque
Rivera no era miembro del TGP, muchos de los artistas representados en la exposición Mexico and Modern Printmaking, como
Leopoldo Méndez y Elizabeth Catlett pertenecieron a la cooperativa.
Leopoldo Méndez (Mexican, 1902–1969)
Posada in His Workshop (Homage to Posada), 1953
Linocut; block 14 x 25 1/2 inches
Published by the Taller de Gráfica Popular, Mexico City
McNay Art Museum, San Antonio: Gift of John Palmer Leeper, by exchange, 1998.2
Muchos miembros del TGP tomaron inspiración de las obras de José Guadalupe Posada (Mexicano, 1852–1913), cuyos grabados producidos a bajo costo comentaban sobre la
vida y política mexicana, y eran vendidos extensamente en las calles y barrios de la
ciudad de México. Este grabado de Leopoldo Méndez muestra a Posada en su taller.
Reading (Literacy), 1948 Elizabeth Catlett, American Lithograph Image: 11 7/8 x 16 1/2 inches (30.2 x 41.9 cm)
Sheet: 17 5/8 x 22 7/8 inches (44.8 x 58.1 cm) Purchased with the Lola Downin Peck Fund, the Carl and Laura Zigrosser Collection, and with the gift of Jay Richardson Massey in honor of Sarah d'Harnoncourt (by exchange), 1998
1998-55-1 [ More Details ]
Esta imagen por Elizabeth Catlett es típica de la obra producida por el Taller de Gráfica Popular. El grabado promovía la educación pública y alfabetización entre la juventud
mexicana, durante una época cuando niños en muchas partes del país estaban siendo
enviados a la escuela por primera vez.
For more information, please contact Education: School & Teacher Programs by phone at (215) 684-7580, by fax at (215) 236-4063, or by e-mail at .
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