Exhibition Dates: September 12, 2024–January 5, 2025
Location: The Met Fifth Avenue, Galleries 691–93
Featuring more than 130 woodcuts, lithographs, and screen prints, Mexican Prints at the Vanguardwill highlight rarely seen works from the Met Collection and explore the cultural, social, and political impact of printmaking as a medium
A dynamic series of English- and Spanish-language programming will include live musical performances, art-making activities, and Met Expert Talks sharing untold stories behind the works on view
Opening September 12, 2024, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mexican Prints at the Vanguard explores the rich tradition of printmaking in Mexico—from the 18th century to the mid-20th century—through works drawn mainly from the Museum’s collection. Among the early works presented are those by Mexico’s best-known printmaker, José Guadalupe Posada, whose depictions of skeletons engaged in different activities helped establish a global identity for Mexican art. Following the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920), printmaking proved to be the ideal medium for artists wanting to address social and political concerns and voice resistance to the rise of fascism around the world. Artists also turned to printmaking to reproduce Mexican murals from the 1920s and to create exhibition posters, prints for the popular press, and portfolios celebrating Mexican dress and customs.
The exhibition is made possible by Jessie and Charles Price.
Additional support is provided by The Schiff Foundation.
“This remarkable exhibition evokes the continued resonance of the graphic arts in Mexico and illuminates treasures of The Met collection—many of which have never been exhibited before,” said Max Hollein, The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and Chief Executive Officer. “Reflecting a vibrant tradition that is deeply imbued with political and social history, these works exemplify the extraordinary power of print as a medium and the importance of creative expression as response to specific cultural moments.”
Featuring over 130 works, including woodcuts, lithographs, and screen prints, by artists such as Posada, Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, Elizabeth Catlett, and Leopoldo Méndez, the exhibition explores how prints were central to artistic identity and practice in Mexico and highlights their effectiveness in addressing social and political issues, a role of the graphic arts that continues today. The bulk of The Met’s expansive collection came through the French-born artist Jean Charlot, whose association with the Museum began in the late 1920s. Charlot donated many of his own prints and works by other artists to The Met, and in the mid-1940s acted on behalf of the Museum to acquire prints in Mexico.
Mark McDonald, Curator, Department of Drawings and Prints at The Met, said, “As a long-preferred medium for artists to challenge and support social and political issues, printmaking provides a rich visual record of Mexican history. This exhibition activates The Met’s unique ability to explore this visual history through its extensive holdings of Mexican prints in addition to highlighting a key moment in the Museum’s collecting practice.”
Among the exhibition’s featured works are prints that survive in unique impressions and have not been published, offering a singular glimpse into the breadth of printmaking in Mexico. These include a group of posters from the late 1920s that address public health, workers’ rights, and education. The collection demonstrates The Met’s early interest in Mexican art and culture at a time when there was growing international interest in the subject.
Related Content and Programs
This exhibition is accompanied by the Fall 2024 issue of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin.
The Bulletin is made possible in part by Allston Chapman.
The Metropolitan’s quarterly Bulletin program is supported in part by the Lila Acheson Wallace Fund for The Metropolitan Museum of Art, established by the cofounder of Reader’s Digest.
The Met will host a variety of exhibition-related educational and public programs offering dynamic experiences and the opportunity for deep engagement with the works displayed. On September 27, artists and historians will participate in a panel discussion exploring the resonance of art as a form of resistance. On October 12, there will be a performance by student musicians organized with Real de Mexico Mariachi and an Open Studio session featuring a free, drop-in poster-making activity. A series of Met Expert Talks—on September 17, November 21, and December 19—will surface insights and untold stories from Met insiders about works in the exhibition. Mexican Prints at the Vanguard will be featured during The Met Fall Fling Festival on October 19 and in popular Met programs such as Artists on Artworks, Teen Fridays, Met Signs in the Studio, Educator Workshops, and Family Afternoons. Spanish-language programming including Met Expert Talks and a Día de los Muertos program at Met Cloisters will accompany the exhibition to connect with the New York City community and celebrate Hispanic/Latinx/e Heritage Month.
Mexican Art Across The Met Collection
The extraordinary range of work and diversity of creativity from across Mexico—from antiquity to the present—is addressed throughout the Museum and in many curatorial departments. Works from Mexico, including exquisite sculptures and paintings from the region before 1600, will be featured prominently in the new galleries devoted to major artistic traditions of the Arts of the Ancient Americas, located in The Met’s Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, which will reopen after a major renovation and reenvisioning in the spring of 2025. The collection of ancient American art represents almost 5,000 years of history from North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean. Additionally, works from Mexico and works created by artists from Mexico are found across the institution within curatorial collection areas including European Paintings, The American Wing, Arms and Armor, Asian Art, The Costume Institute, Drawings and Prints, European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, Modern and Contemporary Art, Musical Instruments, Photographs, and The Robert Lehman Collection. The Met continues to expand its holdings of Mexican prints and books and recently announced a gift from the Pinkowitz Collection of more than 300 prints by artists from or working in Mexico.
The exhibition is featured on The Met website as well as on social media using the hashtag #MetMexicanPrints.
