Mexico Modern : Art, Commerce and Cultural Exchange 1920-1945

This book will feature paintings, drawings, photographs, and ephemera from the extra - ord inary collections of the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin, and also from other museums and libraries throughout the United States and Mexico.

Rivera, Kahlo, Tamayo, Covarrubias, Weston, Modotti, Bravo, Spratling – names which are closely linked with the internationally celebrated art, photography and design scene of the 1920s and 1930s in the United States and Mexico. This lavishly illustrated publication traces the dynamic cultural exchange which left its mark on both sides of the border. At the beginning of the 20th century a lively and profitable exchange developed between artists in the United States and Mexico. The Americans were full of enthusiasm for the Mexican synthesis of history and modernity and their social commitment, which contrasted strongly with the consumer culture in the U.S. The Mexican artists in turn found important financiers across the border. The volume shows through paintings, drawings, photographs and graphical works from the Harry Ransom Center in Austin and other important museums how this intercultural network brought forth a large number of world-famous artists.