LACMA'S CONTEMPORARY LATINAMERICAN ART COLLECTION

an Helio Oiticica 1979 penetrable, of which I didn't know of its existence, edition of 3, with warning sign next to it in case you decide to go inside it.


Raul Lozza, Untitled, relief, 1953


Carlos Mérida, Geometric Forms, (Cubos), Painting, 1936


Jesús Rafael Soto, Almost Immaterial Vibration (Vibración casi inmaterial), 1963-1964


Mathias Goeritz, Message, 1967


Eugenio Dittborn, Airmail Painting No. 40, 1985


Cildo Meireles, Webs of Freedom, 1976-1998


Francis Alys, Man with Chair, 1993-1997


Gabriel Orozco, Lost Line, Sculpture, Plasticine and cotton string, 1993-96

I visited LACMA's small but interesting room dedicated to Latin American contemporary art, the expected artists were there (only one small work by a woman Valeska Soares). There was also no Chicano art. I would have expected a room in LACMA dedicated to Chicano-Latino art, but there was none, or I couldn't find it. With Latin American collections, there is always the problem of how to deal with the Chicano-Latino distant cousins, are they Latin American, or North American, or Southern California Artists? Anyway, it would have been interesting to see some work by art collective ASCO, or Daniel Martinez, or even the younger generation Mario Ybarra Jr, Los Super Elegantes, Juan Capistran...

One can only hope that in the near future Los Angeles museums become aware of the importance, because of their location, history and population, of including Latin American and Latino artists within their collection, and hopefully in dialogue with the collection and without segregation.

To view the list of contemporary Latin American artists in the LACMA collection click here.