Vamos, Amigos

Spanning the art of the ancient Mayans and Aztecs to 20th-century masters, a new exhibit at the Lowe Art Museum unveils the rich and varied tradition of 3,500 years of Mexican art and culture. This Friday night at 7, “Las Artes de México: From the Collection of the Gilcrease Museum” will feature works ranging from pre-Columbian artifacts to 20th-century paintings by Diego Rivera, and includes pottery, folk art, and prints celebrating the nation’s creative spirit. Olmec, Mayan, and Toltec sculptures channel scenes from an often-mysterious past. They reveal a world of ceremony and celebration, of ritual warfare and the veneration of the dead. Conquistador armor and Aztec blades highlight the initial conflict between both worlds during the Spanish conquest of Meso-America. The exhibition also explores Mexican weaving and the role of the loom from antiquity, including Zapotec blankets that employ centuries-old techniques and iconography. Works by José Clemente Orozco, among the most influential of 20th-century Mexican artists, will be displayed among the trove of treasures.
Fri., Jan. 30, 2009