Calaveras Mexicanas The Art and Influence of José Guadalupe Posada
José Guadalupe Posada, Calavera de Francisco I. Madero (Calavera of Francisco Madero), from the portfolio Monografía: Las obras de José Guadalupe Posada, grabador mexicano, published by Mexican Folkways, Mexico City, 1910, printed 1930, photo-relief etching with engraving, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase funded by Frank Ribelin.
José Guadalupe Posada, Calavera de la Catrina (Skull of the Female Dandy), from the portfolio 36 Grabados: José Guadalupe Posada, published by Arsacio Vanegas, Mexico City, c. 1910, printed 1943, photo-relief etching with engraving, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase funded by the friends of Freda Radoff.
Manfred Bischoff, “René Descartes” Ring, 1998, mirrored glass, coral, and gold, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Helen Williams Drutt Collection, Museum purchase funded by the Morgan Foundation in honor of Catherine Asher Morgan. © Manfred Bischoff
Leopoldo Méndez , Las antorchas (The Torches), 1947, printed 1948, linoleum cut on ivory wove Parsons Diploma Parchment, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase funded by the friends of Freda Radoff.
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of José Guadalupe Posada (1852–1913), considered "the father of Mexican printmaking," the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), presents a group of approximately 50 works of art that explore the continuing resonance of his work in Calaveras Mexicanas: The Art and Influence of José Guadalupe Posada.
Divided into three sections, the exhibition begins with an introduction to Posada, providing biographical information as well as contextualizing his prints and contributions to Mexican art and culture. The second section spotlights Posada’s renowned calaveras (skulls), or prints depicting skeletons of famous heroes, politicians, revolutionary leaders and the common people. After his death, Posada's calaveras became the imagery most associated with Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a holiday celebrated in Mexico, and around the world, on November 1–2 to honor and celebrate departed loved ones. In the exhibition, Posada’s calaveras are placed alongside drawings, prints and photographs by modern and contemporary artists, such as Luis Jiménez, Manuel Álvarez Bravo and Graciela Iturbide, among others, who were inspired by Posada. The exhibition also includes works by Texas artists who were admirers of Posada, including Earl Staley, Jerry Bywaters and Trenton Doyle Hancock.
In the third and final section, the artistic influence and legacy of Posada will be investigated, as seen in works on paper by Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros and artists associated with the Taller de Gráfica Popular (TGP), including Leopoldo Méndez, Alfredo Zalce and Elizabeth Catlett.
This exhibition was co-curated by Dena M. Woodall, associate curator of prints and drawings, and Rebecca Dunham, curatorial assistant of prints and drawings.
This exhibition is organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.