México
Paintings by the Great Muralists and Life Snapshots of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo
May 23 – September 9 2018

The exhibition “México. Paintings by the Great Muralists and Life Snapshots of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo” is designed to show an artistic project that never took place. The exhibition “Orozco Rivera Siqueiros. Mexican Painting” was slated to be opened on 13th September 1973.
In this exhibition, resulting from the renewed friendship between Mexico and Chile, the Chilean public was to be presented with the collection of Mexican avant-garde art owned by Alvar Carrillo Gil and his wife Carmen Tejero.
However, the opening had to be cancelled following Augusto Pinochet’s coup d’etat, which took place in those days. The exhibition was therefore put off, thus becoming known as the ‘exposicion pendiente’. After more than 40 years, this extraordinary collection was finally exhibited first in Chile (2015), then in Argentina (2016), in Peru (2017), and now in Italy.
The exhibition curated by Carlos Palacios, features about 70 works created by the three great masters José Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera, and David Alfaro Siqueiros, also known as ‘Los Tres Grandes’ or as Mexican avant-garde art, which was one of 20th century leading artistic movements.
In this exhibition, which puts on show some works and sketches for murals as well as large drawings by these three masters, visitors will be able to gain a better understanding of their artistic achievements. The collection was put together in the ‘30s out of the passion for Mexican avant-garde of Carrillo Gil and his wife. It features oils and drawings with great political commitment documenting the creative and political spirit that characterized Rivera’s, Orozco’s and Siqueiros’ art. In addition to the works on display, there is an extensive documentation of the original murals, using modern HD video animation technology, to let visitors admire and locate the main works by the three muralists in the various Mexican cities.
Finally, a photographic collection documenting the overlapping artistic and political events of the three masters with the artist Frida Kahlo completes the exhibition. It consists of 50 reproductions of photos, taken by relatives and friends of famous artists and photographers including Frida’s father, Guillermo Kahlo, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Nickolas Muray, Ernesto Reyes, Ansel Adams and Juan Guzman.