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Art as Activism

Taller de Gráfica Popular


Luis Arenal. Juan Alvarez y el Plan de Ayutla (Juan Alvarez and the Ayutla Plan),1960. Offset. 15 3/4 x 10 5/8 inches. Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum. 2007.3.0842. Gift of Michael F. and Tonya L. Aranda.

Diego Rivera. Enrrielando, Moscú (Sawing Rails, Moscow), 1927. Conté crayon on paper. 25 x 19 inches. Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum. 2002.2.057. Gift of Harry Pollak. © 2014 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, México D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Reproduction, including downloading of ARS member works is prohibited by copyright laws and international conventions without the express written permission of Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Mariana Yampolsky. La juventud de Emiliano Zapata: lección objetiva (The Youth of Emiliano Zapata: Objective Lesson), 1960. Offset. 10 5/8 x 15 3/4 inches. Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum. 2007.3.0871. Gift of Michael F. and Tonya L. Aranda. D.R. © Fundación Cultural Mariana Yampolsky, A.C., México, www.marianayampolsky.org.

Rufino Tamayo. Hombre con burro (Man with Donkey), 1940. Watercolor on paper. 14 x 17 inches. Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum. 2002.2.063. Gift of Harry Pollak. Art © Tamayo Heirs / Mexico / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. www.vagarights.com.

Pablo O’Higgins. La huelga de Cananea: los obreros mexicanos reclaman igualdad de derechos frente a los obreros yanquis (The Cananea Strike: The Mexican Laborers Reclaim Equality of Rights Before the Yankee Laborers), 1960. Offset. 10 5/8 x 15 3/4 inches. Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum. 2007.3.0857. Gift of Michael F. and Tonya L. Aranda. © Fundación Pablo O’Higgins, México.

15 Year Anniversary

A previous exhibition
at The Baker Museum

May 31 — October 5, 2014


This exhibition from The Baker Museum’s permanent collection focuses on a period of social and political upheaval in Mexico following its 1910 revolution. Established in 1937 in Mexico City by a collective of revolutionary artists, the Taller de Gráfica Popular (People’s Graphic Workshop, TGP) produced incisive images to give a voice to the masses. At the core of the Taller’s political agenda and critical discourse were the causes of marginalized or oppressed sectors of society, especially Mexican workers and peasants. Concerned also with contemporary politics on a global scale, the Taller denounced the Spanish Civil War and fascism. Its aesthetic was informed by the Mexican printmaking tradition as well as by the Soviet avant-garde visual rhetoric. Displayed at The Baker Museum for the first time, the complete portfolio of the Taller de Gráfica Popular, 450 Años de lucha: homenaje al pueblo mexicano comprises more than 140 prints. Art as Activism also includes paintings and drawings by Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Rufino Tamayo, among other famous artists. To establish the TGP’s historical context, the exhibition presents a selection of books and artifacts, such as a small printing press and other period materials.

Art as Activism: Taller de Gráfica Popular includes didactic materials in English and Spanish.


Esta exposición de la colección permanente de The Baker Museum gira en torno al periodo de inestabilidad social y política que México vivió tras la revolución de 1910. Establecido en 1937 en Ciudad de México por un colectivo de artistas revolucionarios, el Taller de Gráfica Popular produjo un lenguaje gráfico incendiario usando el arte como herramienta de activismo político. Las causas de sectores sociales marginados y oprimidos, como trabajadores y campesinos, fueron la base de la agenda política y el discurso crítico del colectivo. Interesados además en asuntos de política mundial, los miembros del Taller denunciaron la Guerra Civil Española y el fascismo. La estética del TGP se nutrió de la tradición del grabado mexicano y también emuló la retórica visual vanguardista de la Unión Soviética. Expuesto en The Baker Museum por primera vez, el portfolio del Taller de Gráfica Popular, 450 Años de lucha: homenaje al pueblo mexicano comprende más de 140 grabados. Art as Activism también incluye pinturas y dibujos de Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros y Rufino Tamayo, entre otros importantes artistas. La exposición presenta además una selección de libros sobre el legado del colectivo,  varios artefactos, como una pequeña imprenta, y otros objetos de época.

Art as Activism: Taller de Gráfica Popular incluye material didáctico en inglés y en español.


This exhibition has been organized by Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum.

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