Guatemala City, Guatemala, March 10th, 2017 – FEMSA Collection arrives to Guatemala with an exhibition that addresses the artistic creation in Mexico during the last century. The exhibition, called “Mexico: Fantastic Identity, Masterpieces of the 20th Century. FEMSA Collection”, illustrates some of the artistic movements that emerged in Mexico throughout the last century, such as Muralism or The Rupture.
“Mexico: Fantastic Identity, Masterpieces of the 20th Century. FEMSA Collection” consists of 70 artworks divided into seven core themes: ‘From the European Experience to the Mexican School of Painting’; Landscape; The Vanguards; Fantastic Art and Surrealism; The Arrival of European Surrealism; New Tendencies in Mexican Plastic Arts: The Rupture and Portraits.
Among the works that make up the exhibition, is “Untitled (Mural on mahogany plate)” (1959), by the prominent Guatemalan master Carlos Mérida, whose use of line and color, as well as the Pre-Hispanic art echo in his work, caused a deep impression on art in Mexico. Mérida, a native of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, lived most of his life in Mexico City and was a tireless promoter of culture. He took interest in Mexican folk dances and founded and directed the School of Dance of the Ministry of Public Education. He also wrote about muralism, painting and art, bearing the name of both nations.
The Mexican Embassy in Guatemala emphasized the significance of the presence of this great exhibition as a demonstration of the importance of Mexicos cooperation with Guatemala and the close ties between the two nations. “Geography, history and culture hold Mexican and Guatemalans together. Both nations identify in multiple ways and, without a doubt, this exposition helps share that fantastic identity”, said Mexico’s Ambassador to Guatemala, Mabel Gómez Oliver.
“We are very excited to receive this sample of 20th Century masterpieces here at our Zone 14 cultural space, made up of works by masters such as Diego Rivera, Rufino Tamayo and David Alfaro Siqueiros, to name a few. We share more than just our language with Mexico, the cultural ties between both nations go back to the Pre-Hispanic times. This exhibition is proof of this, with the presence of a piece made by Guatemalan Carlos Mérida”, explained Rozas Botrán Foundation’s President, José Rozas Botrán.
“We are committed to creating economic, social and environmental value in the communities where FEMSA has a presence, so it is a great pride for us to make it possible for this exhibition to reach Guatemala”, said Coca-Cola FEMSA’s Central America Operations Director, José Antonio Fernández Garza.
“It is a pleasure to share part of our country’s culture and history represented in the works of great masters of the Mexican art. Through this tour, you will recognize some of the most emblematic pieces of our collection, which gathers more than 1200 modern and contemporary Latin American art works. We hope the public enjoys this magnificent exhibition”, said FEMSA’s Cultural Program Manager, Rosa María Rodríguez Garza.
The exhibition’s curatorship, made by Emma Cecilia García Kinsky, allows us to have a glimpse on how the producers explored the identity and sought to create Mexican art through the works of muralists and the Mexican School of Painting. It also shows the influence of avant-gardes in Mexico’s art, as well as the work of Europeans who immigrated to Mexico, and the arrival of abstraction and new forms of expression with the Rupture. This exhibition brings together the works of Remedios Varo, Diego Rivera, María Izquierdo, Gerardo Murillo “Dr. Atl”, Kati Horna, José Clemente Orozco, Leonora Carrington, José Luis Cuevas, Lilia Carrillo, David Alfaro Siqueiros and Olga Costa, to name a few.
“Mexico: Fantastic Identity, Masterpieces of the 20th Century. FEMSA Collection” is carried out thanks to the support of the Government of the Republic of Guatemala, the Municipality of Guatemala, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Mexican Embassy in Guatemala, the Mexican Agency of International Cooperation for Development (AMEXCID), the Rozas-Botrán Foundation and Coca-Cola FEMSA.
The exhibition was recently presented in Panama and Costa Rica, and concludes its tour through Central America in Guatemala, with the purpose of sharing the works of consecrated Mexican artists and demonstrate, through a piece by master Carlos Mérida, the strong creative and cultural bond that unites both countries.
The display will be exhibited at the Rozas-Boltrán Gallery Zone 14, in Guatemala City from March 10th to April 22nd of 2017.
On FEMSA Collection
FEMSA Collection is regarded as one of the most important private collections in Latin America; it has over 1,200 works from diverse artistic expressions such as painting, sculpture, drawing, graphics, photography and installation, offering a journey through Latin America’s modern and contemporary art, with an emphasis on Mexican art. FEMSA Collection was born in 1977 as part of the company’s commitment to the development of its employees, their families and their communities. Its works showcase the evolution, plurality and richness of Latin American art throughout the 20th Century. FEMSA shares its Collection with the most diverse communities in Mexico and the world through an active itinerant exhibitions program, thus fulfilling its goal of promoting art appreciation while complementing the company’s historical efforts to boost education in its different facets.
On FEMSA
FEMSA is a leading company participating in the beverage industry with Coca-Cola FEMSA, the largest franchise bottler of Coca-Cola products in the world; Estrella Azul, one of the leading companies in the dairy segment in Panama; and in the beer industry, through its ownership of the second largest equity stake of Heineken, one of the worlds leading brewers with operations in over 70 countries. FEMSA participates in the retail sector with FEMSA Comercio, which operates various small-format chain stores including OXXO; a Fuels Division operating the OXXO GAS service stations chain; and a Health Division that includes pharmacies and related operations. In addition, through FEMSA Negocios Estratégicos, the company offers logistic services, point-of-sales cooling solutions and plastic solutions for FEMSA’s companies and external customers.