Jean Charlot, Massacre in the Main Temple (Masacre en el Templo Mayor) (detail), 1922. Scaled color composition for mural, watercolor and pencil, 20 in. x 35.5 in. The Jean Charlot Collection, University of Hawaii at Manoa Library. © The Jean Charlot Estate LLC. With permission.
September 14, 2017–February 25, 2018
This exhibition was on view at the Skirball
September 14, 2017–February 25, 2018
Another Promised Land: Anita Brenner’s Mexico offers a new perspective on the art and visual culture of Mexico and its relationship to the United States as seen through the life and work of the Mexican-born, American Jewish writer Anita Brenner (1905–1974). Brenner was an integral part of the circle of Mexican modernists in the 1920s and played an important role in promoting and translating Mexican art, culture, and history for audiences in the United States.
Brenner was close to the leading intellectuals and artists active in Mexico, including José Clemente Orozco, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Jean Charlot, and Tina Modotti. An influential and prolific writer on Mexican culture, Brenner is best known for her book Idols Behind Altars: Modern Mexican Art and Its Cultural Roots (1929). The Skirball’s exhibition will provide an immersive experience of historic discovery and underscore Brenner's importance as a Jewish woman in Mexico who inspired artists and was instrumental in introducing the North American public to Mexican history and culture.
Another Promised Land: Anita Brenner’s Mexico is part of Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA, a far-reaching and ambitious exploration of Latin American and Latino art in dialogue with Los Angeles, taking place from September 2017 through January 2018 at more than sixty cultural institutions across Southern California. Pacific Standard Time is an initiative of the Getty.
Another Promised Land: Anita Brenner’s Mexico ofrece una nueva perspectiva sobre la cultura artística y visual de México y su relación con los Estados Unidos desde el punto de vista de la vida y obra de la escritora judío-estadounidense nacida en México, Anita Brenner (1905–1974). Brenner fue una parte integral del círculo de modernistas mexicanos en los años veinte y tuvo un rol importante en la promoción y la traslación del arte, la cultura y la historia mexicana a la audiencia de los Estados Unidos. Brenner fue amiga cercana de líderes intelectuales y artistas activos en México, entre los cuales se incluyen a José Clemente Orozco, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Jean Charlot y Tina Modotti. Siendo una influyente y prolífica escritora sobre la cultura mexicana, Brenner es más conocida por su libro Idols Behind Altars: Modern Mexican Art and Its Cultural Roots (1929) (Ídolos tras los altares: arte moderno mexicano y sus raíces culturales). La exposición en Skirball ofrecerá una experiencia de inmersión de descubrimiento histórico y enfatizará la importancia de Brenner como mujer judía en México, la cual inspiró a artistas y fue instrumental en la introducción de la historia y cultura mexicanas al público norteamericano.
Jean Charlot, The Massacre in the Main Temple, 1922. Scaled color composition, watercolor and pencil, 20” x 35-1/2”. © The Jean Charlot Estate LLC, with permission. The Jean Charlot Collection, University of Hawaii at Manoa Library. Photograph by Philip Spalding III.
Jean Charlot, detail of mural The Massacre in the Main Temple, Mexico City, 1922–1923. Fresco, 14’ x 26’ © The Jean Charlot Estate LLC, with permission. Photograph © Bob Schalkwijk.
Abraham Ángel, La India, 1923. Reproduction authorized by the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura, 2017.
Tina Modotti, Anita Brenner, c. 1926. Gelatin silver print, 3-3/4” x 2-3/4”. Courtesy of the Witliff Collections, Texas State University.
Tina Modotti, Illustration for a Mexican Song, 1927. Gelatin silver print, 9-3/16” x 7-5/16”. Collection of The Museum of Modern Art. Digital image © The Museum of Modern Art / Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY.
Diego Rivera, Kneeling Child on Yellow Background, 1927. Oil and wax on canvas. Collection of SFMOMA. © 2017 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Diego Rivera, Dance in Tehuantepec / Danza en Tehuantepec, 1935. Watercolor and pencil on paper. Collection of Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Gift if Mr. and Mrs. Milton W. Lipper, from the Milton W. Lipper Estate (M.74.22.4) © 2017 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Mathias Goeritz, Satellite Towers / Torres de Satellite, date unknown. Serigraph. Collection of Ricardo B. Salinas Pliego / Fomento Cultural Grupo Salinas.
Cover of Mexico / this month, February 1956. Illustration by Vlady.
Cover of Mexico / this month, June 1958. Illustration by Vlady.
Cover of Mexico / this month, June 1968. Illustration by Bartolí.
Kati Horna, Smith, Kline, and French Laboratories, Mexico City, 1960s. Ricardo Legorreta, Architect. Gelatin silver print. Collection of Ricardo B. Salinas Pliego / Fomento Cultural Grupo Salinas.
David Glusker, Anita Brenner studying maps, c. 1930s. Gelatin silver print, Colección Ricardo B. Salinas Pliego.
Unknown, Anita Brenner, c. 1929. Gelatin silver print. Colección Ricardo B. Salinas Pliego.
Frida Kahlo, Self Portrait, 1931. Charcoal, graphite, and colored pencil on paper. Collection of Salma Hayak. © 2017 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Watch Latin GRAMMY™ winner Carla Morrison perform at the Skirball to celebrate the exhibition.
Anita Brenner: A bridge to mexican art, culture
Jewish Journal | September 14, 2017
ANITA BRENNER: LA AMIGA 'SECRETA' DE FRIDA KAHLO
Harper's Bazaar España | September 12, 2017
The Revolutionary Mexican-Born, Jewish-American Woman Who Exposed Rivera, Kahlo, and Siqueiros to the World
Remezcla | August 1, 2017
Another Promised Land: Anita Brenner’s Mexico is organized by the Skirball Cultural Center as part of Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA.
Lead support for the exhibition, publication, and programming for Another Promised Land is provided by:
Grants from the Getty Foundation
Ellie and Mark Lainer
Along with generous support from the following donors:
Brener FamilyLinda and Michael Keston
