Customer Reviews

Latin American & Caribbean Art: MoMA At El Museo

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This is an excellent catalog from the corresponding exhibition at this wonderful and quirky NYC institution. When MoMA renovated its building in Manhattan, it moved to a temporary space in Queens and sent much of its art traveling. Wonderful works of Latin American art were pulled out of storage for the first time in years. The brilliant curatorial minds of Luis Perez-Oramas, Miriam Basilio, and Gary Garrels from MoMA; and Fatima Brecht and Debbie Cullen from El Museo united to put together a great exhibition and an excellent informative catalog which reproduces some key works by top Latin American Modern and contemporary artists.

Basilio's essay on the history of MoMA's collecting and exhibiting this body of work is of great use to scholars in museum studies and/or Latin American art. The descriptions of MoMA director Alfred H. Barr, Jr. and Lincoln Kirstein's travels in the 1940s are fascinating. Kirstein was reporting back to the US State Department on whether or not the artists he encountered might sympathize with the Nazis. This is truly a great read which is simultaneously enthralling and rich with information.

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There are also full-color illustrations of nearly 100 wonderful works from the exhibition. The layout is beautifully organized, clear and easy to take in.

Very nice catalogue, good overview of important Latin American artists