Note: This interview appeared on the Authentic Art Visions blog last October, however, I posted it again because I thought it really provided some wonderful information about Latin American art. Enjoy!
We are honoring Hispanic Heritage Month through art!
This celebration began as a weeklong celebration 40 years ago and was officially expanded to a month in 1988, begins September 15th and ends October 15th. During this time each year, the United States celebrates the culture, traditions and contributions of U.S. residents who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico, and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central and South America and the Caribbean.
We are participating by putting the spotlight on Latino Art and Artists. We recently interviewed Teresa Diaz an artist and visual arts curator to talk with us a little about the artists of Latino decent and how to learn more about them as well as accessing the work of these artists.
Ms. Diaz was born and raised in Mexico, where she received her formal training at La Academia Goya. Her father, an artist by profession, began teaching her drawing and painting techniques at a very early age, and her mother—a trained photographer who studied under the tutelage of Lola Alvarez Bravo—mentored her in composition and subject matter.
Diaz migrated to the United States to obtain a Bachelor in Fine Arts from the University of North Texas, Denton, Texas and in 1993, received the National Scholarship Award Competition, First Place Award at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY for her fashion designs and illustrations. Two years later, Diaz received a BFA degree from Pratt Institute and was offered their first summer internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Collection. Inspired by the interaction between art and its audience in the museum setting, in 2000 she received a Masters in Art degree in Museum Studies from the George Washington University.
Since then, she has worked as a museum professional with the Smithsonian Institution, as the Executive Director for a Latino arts and cultural center and as the Chief Curator for the Fresno Metropolitan Museum in California. Diaz returned to Washington DC as an accomplished curator and collections management consultant dedicated to museums, galleries, private collectors and artists. Presently, she has taken into a position as the Assistant Collections Manager at the Fowler Museum of Cultural History at the University of California at Los Angeles.
As an artist and curator, she gravitates to the work of artists who present subjects of interest or controversy on location or to a specific audience. She is the owner of Latin Visual Source, an art curating and consultancy which, until recently, coordinated visual art projects in the local Latino arts community of Washington, D.C.
AV: Ola, Teresa!
Teresa: Hi Sharon, thank you for having me on Authentic Art Visions-it is quite an honor. I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that the theme of this inquiry was “What do I need to know to buy Latino art?” Having dedicated most of my career to seek talented artists in the Latino communities I have lived in and bring them forth with interesting exhibitions and collaborations, I am thrilled to be able to talk about this.
AV: How has the American and international art market been responding to the work of Latino American artists (ie: have artists perform well at auction, has there been an increase in the demand of artwork by Latino artists?)
Teresa: I believe that after the publication of Hayden Herrera’s book on Frida Kahlo, [Spanish] “Frida: una biographia de Frida Kahlo,” Latin American artists began to attract the attention of scholars and the general public, which they rightfully deserved, for their contribution to 20th century art history. Most prominent artists as Posada, Rivera, Orozco and Siqueiros influenced all art schools across continents in the 30s and onward, and were featured extensively in Kahlo’s biography. Stalin-supporter and member of the Communist Party Siqueiros taught in American schools, and had several US commissions. Rivera was as popular as Picasso, who resented him for it. Orozco never left the country, but his popularity in Mexico became international. Their imagery relating to socio-political themes like Marxism and anti-imperialism left a deep impression on their contemporary artists of Europe and the United States (Hence the birth of the New Deal Artists and all of their Federal Building commissions, read: http://www.brown.edu/Courses/HA0293/newdeal.html.)
However, not all of the Mexican artists from that time were socially minded artists. Octavio Paz’ Essays on Mexican Art underline a very important Mexican artist that we tend to forget –Maria Izquierdo, the telepathetical grandmother of Chicano art (Many self-taught Chicano artist in the 60s and 70s use horizontal perspective as well as vibrant, out of the tube, colors, and Magic Realism-tone subject matter as Izquierdo, but thirty years later.) However, these artists must not have known about her; her popularity rose in the late 80s.
The major influential exhibition by the MOMA on Latin American Art in 1993 brought about a keener interest by collectors and museums in artists and movements that were touched upon in the exhibition. Auction houses like Christie’s and Sotherby’s began selling Tamayos, Frida Kahlos, Joaquin Garcia Torres, Wilfrido Lams, Fernando Boteros, etc. at higher prices than ever before. By the mid 90s in the US, these artists became household names.
AV: Who are the hottest Latin American artists today? Who are some emerging artists to look out for?
Apart from the most well-known Latino artists, such as Rivera, Kahlo, Siqueiros, etc. there are also more contemporary artists such as Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Pattsi Valdez, Pepon Osorio, Alfredo Jaar, Carlos Alfonzo, Fernando De Szyszlo, Rodolfo Morales, Francisco Toledo, Ernesto Neto, Ana Mendieta, Guillermo Kuitca, Luis Jimenez, Doris Salcedo, Jose Bedia, Masha Zepeda, Yolanda Lopez, Alma Lopez, etc. These artists productive period span a time of thirty to forty years – some less. If you are meticulate, you can always look these artists up and perhaps find out who their influences were and how they influenced the art history world. However, the art world often changes erratically in all directions, so I cannot guarantee that the artists mention here, will continue their popularity in years to come.
AV: If someone has an interest in learning more about the work of Latino artists, where do you recommend that they begin?
I believe that if you are interested in finding out more about Latino Artists, you might want to narrow your search to something more specific. There is a wealth of designated Latino, Chicano, Hispanic, Mexican American, Latin American, Spanish, and Brazilian artists. They all fall into the category of “Latino” artists in this country, however, they are culturally different from each other: who are you most curious about? Moreover, you need to narrow your scope: are you interested in contemporary artists, 20th century, Colonial period, Pre-Columbian, indigenous, folk art, socio-political themed art, muralists, abstractionists, conceptual, Latino women, graffiti artists, etc?
There are also themes you might feel more strongly for –like happiness, nostalgia, dreams, freedom, a certain location, a thought, a weapon against the fear, etc. And sometimes there is no reason why you would search for what you are searching. It all of a sudden appears in your path; then, you either buy it, or you go home and ponder and research.
If you are curious about finding Latino (let’s generalize this term to mean all of the above mentioned) artists in your community, it would be best to search for your local Commission of the Arts and Humanities to find out what resources or directories they provide to the general public on galleries, studios and museums that are dedicated to Latino artists. Many do not, but one commendable one is the DCCAH of Washington, DC, my former home. The DC Commission of the Arts and Humanities works in partnership with the Latino Affairs Office to promote specific populations within the city and aim at maintaining visibility for them. Offices like the Latino Affairs Office of DC will announce featured Latino related exhibitions and art-related events in the area. If you don’t know if your city has one, go to the Mayor’s website. (On a side note, if they don’t, then you have better write to your council member and request such.) Perhaps your Latino population is quite small; so, find the city next to you.
If you are looking for something more broadly, there are several museums in the United States that are dedicated to Latino artists or house a vast collection. Some examples include:
El Museo del Barrio in New York City (http://www.elmuseo.org)
Organization of American States’ Museum of Art in Washington, DC (http://www.museum.oas.org)
The InterAmerican Development Bank’s Gallery in DC (http://www.iadb.org/exr/cultural/III/events.cfm)
The Smithsonian American Art Museum (http://americanart.si.edu)
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (http://hirshhorn.si.edu)
The Smithsonian Latino Initiatives (http://latino.si.edu)
The National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago (http://www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org)
The Mexican Museum in San Francisco (http://www.mexicanmuseum.org)
The Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas in Austin (http://blantonmuseum.org)
Mexic-Arte Museum in Austin, TX (http://www.mexic-artemuseum.org)
The Museum of Latin American Art in Longbeach, CA (http://www.molaa.or/)
The Latino Museum in Los Angeles, CA (http://www.thelatinomuseum.com)
Self-Help Graphics in Los Angeles and Sacramento, CA (http://www.selfhelpgraphics.com)
Fowler Museum of Cultural History, UCLA, CA (www.fowler.ucla.edu)
MOMA, NYC (http://www.moma.org)
Two treasured museums that I recommend have a present Latino art exhibition agenda are the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Fowler Museum of Cultural History. The newly renovated Pre-Columbian gallery at LACMA has caught the attention of many exhibition designers and the public in general. The Fowlers Fall schedule has four Latin-Latin American related exhibitions.
There are also University departments specialized in Latino art, Chicano art or Latino issues. Some strong curricular universities in Latino art are: NYU, UMD, University of New Mexico, UCLA, UT Austin, Cal Arts, Georgia State University, University of Arizona, and Notre Dame. If you are interested in the history of Latino artists, you might want to do an extensive library search in one of these universities and find what you seek in the description of the book or author. One particular book that I recommend is “The Art of Latin America from 1900-1980” by Marta Traba, one of the first scholars to write a book dedicated to modern to contemporary Latin American Art in the U.S.
AV: Any other tips or information you can share with those who are interested in learning about and buying the work of Latino artists?
As in any specific buy, “quality” is perhaps the most important feature to keep in mind. However, with art, you need to be more scrutinizing on such qualities as subject matter, color, mood, aesthetics, composition, size, and last but not least, what the art means to you. Sometimes such biases for one over the other have to do with the title of the art or the name of the artist. I, being from Hispanic heritage, tend to be attracted more so to Spanish or Latin names and surnames. Or perhaps, recognizing the name serves as a motivator to purchase the piece. The price might affect your interest. Although be aware that less expensive art might mean that they are not original, perhaps it is a reproduction, a print or a giclee . Regardless, it is what you see and feel about the art that makes you decide to buy it.
If you want to continue your search for emerging Latino artists, I recommend to keep in touch with my website, http://www.latinovisualsource.com/. You can also find out more about me on my website and read up on projects that I have been adamantly promoting using Latino artists of the area. I procure to create collaborations with community organizations, businesses and schools to promote local Latino art and culture, mainly in local restaurants, theatres, fitness places and stores, which are great venues to hold small exhibitions. You may also get in touch with me via email at terediaz@yahoo.com, and I would be happy to answer any questions possible.
Thanks again, Sharon for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts and knowledge. Until next time!
Images on this Post, in order of apperance (for more information about these local Latino artists, visit Latino Visual Source):
1. Dos Munecas, 2007, by Teresa Ghiglino
2. Small Fish Diptych, 2007, by Felisa Federman
3. Roadscape #6, 2007, by Teresa Diaz
