LACMA To Bring Major Diego Rivera Retrospective To Los Angeles Including Works Never Before Exhibited In The United States.

LOS ANGELES--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Sept. 28, 1998--

"Diego Rivera: Art And Revolution" On View May 30 Through

Aug. 16, 1999

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art -- LACMA -- is proud to present "Diego Rivera: Art and Revolution," the first major retrospective of Diego Rivera's work in the United States in 13 years.

Designed to provide new perspectives on the artist, the exhibition follows Rivera's body of work throughout his lifetime, emphasizing his contributions to muralism, symbolism, cubism, the post-World War I "return to order," social realism, and surrealism. This exhibition of more than 100 paintings, prints, and drawings by Rivera is scheduled to open on May 30, 1999, continuing through Aug. 16, 1999.

Rivera (1886-1957) is one of the most important artists of the 20th century. Gaining international acclaim in association with the golden age of Mexican muralism, Rivera created an innovative painting style combining the influence of European art, socialist ideals, and the heritage and culture of indigenous Mexico. This new approach had a profound influence on Rivera's contemporaries in Mexico and around the world.

"LACMA is thrilled to be able to offer an exhibition of this size and importance to the people of Southern California and visitors from around the world," said Andrea Rich, LACMA's president and chief executive officer. "Following major exhibitions by Picasso and Van Gogh with a show of this magnitude makes this the third jewel in LACMA's crown. It is going to be an incredibly exciting time for the museum and all our visitors."

"This exhibition will allow us to explore the unique path forged by Diego Rivera in the history of 20th-century art," said LACMA Director Graham W.J. Beal. "The comprehensive collection of works illustrates Rivera's many contributions to international modernism."

This exhibition of Rivera's work complements LACMA's existing holdings of Mexican and Latin American art, which serve as a key component in the museum's 20th-century collection.

The recent acquisition of the Bernard and Edith Lewin collection of Mexican art by LACMA includes more than 2,000 paintings and works on paper by artists such as Carlos Merida, David Alfaro Siqueiros and Rufino Tamayo. The collection also contains oil paintings, mural studies and close to 200 works on paper by Diego Rivera. Other Rivera works owned by LACMA include the oil paintings "Flower Day" and "Still Life, Bread and Fruit," and the watercolor "Baile en Tehuantepec."

"Diego Rivera: Art and Revolution" is the latest example of LACMA's commitment to exploring Latin America's contribution to modern art in relationship to other cultures and time periods, and presenting exhibitions that are relevant to the Los Angeles community. It follows the critically acclaimed exhibition "Mexican Masterpieces From the Bernard and Edith Lewin Collection" which was exhibited at the museum from November 1997 through February 1998, and "Ancient West Mexico, Art of the Unknown Region" scheduled to open in December 1998.

Exhibition Overview

The exhibition begins with Rivera's student work in Mexico through his departure in 1907 to study painting in Europe. While living in Paris, Rivera traveled extensively, adopting traditional and vanguard styles in Madrid, London and Bruges. While in Paris, Rivera met Picasso, Leger, Modigliani, Chagall, Mondrian and numerous other important artists of the time. By 1913 he was thinking seriously about cubism, and by 1915 Rivera was well into his cubist phase. By 1918, Rivera was in the midst of another transition in line with what is now called the post-World War I "return to order."

Urged by Minister of Education Jose Vasconcelos to return to Mexico to promote mural painting as a proletarian art form in response to the Mexican revolution, Rivera went back to Mexico in 1921. At this time, Rivera began an intensive study of indigenous art and folk culture while traveling through southern Mexico, an excursion that prompted the artist's ambitious personal collection of pre-Columbian and folk art, which he often referenced in his murals and easel paintings.

During the 1930s, Rivera spent a good deal of time in the United States where he created numerous frescoes in New York, Detroit and San Francisco. Murals painted by Rivera and other Mexican masters had a wide-ranging influence on social realist painters and fledgling abstract expressionists in the United States. In addition to his mural work, Rivera created a good number of portraits during this time.

A schedule of related events and activities will be announced in the fall. A full catalog of the exhibition will be available.

Credit Line: The exhibition is organized by the Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes through the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (Mexico) and The Cleveland Museum of Art, in partnership with the Ohio Arts Council. AT&T is the exhibition's corporate sponsor. The exhibition is supported by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The exhibition in the United States is also supported by an indemnity from the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities, a federal agency.

Exhibition Venues:

Cleveland Museum of Art Feb. 21, 1999-May 2, 1999 LACMA

May 26, 1999-Aug. 16, 1999 The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston  Sept. 19, 1999-Nov. 28, 1999(T) Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes,

Mexico, D.F. Dec. 16, 1999-March 19, 2000(T)

LACMA Coordinating Curator: Lynn Zelevansky, curator of modern and contemporary art.

Museum Hours: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday noon-8 p.m.; Friday noon-9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; closed Wednesday.

Call 323/857-6000, or visit the museum's Website at http://www.lacma.org.

Museum shop hours & Plaza Cafe hours: same as museum hours.

General Admission: Adults $7; students 18+ with ID and senior citizens 62+ $5; children/younger students $1; children 5 and under are admitted free. For Picasso and Van Gogh tickets call TicketMaster at 213/462-ARTS (2787). The second Tuesday of every month is free to all, excluding Picasso and Van Gogh exhibitions.