WOW! I usually leave the art section to Paul but when I came across this article in the LA TIMES, I had to give my 2 cents! Having interviewed and been completely blown away by Gilbert "Magú" Luján, I must confesss, I have mixed feelings.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art originally turned down Cheech's offer to display his art collection (which features three of the four founding members of the famous Chicano Art collective Los Four.) That the museum turned down a Cheech's show should comes as no surprise since they have been turning down Chicano art for years. I'm not one to dwell on the past or complain that things aren't changing but the refusal of LACMA to acknowledge the artform belonging to a community as much if not more a part of the LA experience as the museum itself. Can somebody please explain to me what's up with that?
Thank goodness, Marin persisted and "Los Angelenos/Chicano Painters of L.A.: Selections From the Cheech Marin Collection," shows through Nov. 2, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. (323) 857-6000 or www.lacma.org. on Sunday.
Check out the article
(photo by Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
2 comments:
It's great that Cheech Marin wants to share his collection with others. Another actor who boasted a sizeable collection of Latino art was Dick Sargent, the actor who portrayed Darren Stephens on Bewitched. And Helen Mirren is an aficionado of Adan Hernandez, the Chicano artists whose murals appeared in the film Blood In Blood Out as the work of Cruz. Chicano art has a striking, unique quality which can't be found anywhere else on the earth, and I hope that BFC can continue to feature up and coming artists.
Thank you Angel for covering my butt! I missed this article but sad to say this is really nothing new. For many years the art establishment has wrongfully neglected Chicano art. What's the reason for the rebuff?
There are more qualified people who could answer why art galleries, history books and museums purposely bypass this rich art. I've heard from artists, gallery owners and museum directors on their opinion on why Chicano does not get the attention it deserves. I've heard things such as Chicano art is folk art, meaning it's regional, raw and an under-developed art. I've heard that there is no such thing as Chicano art, because Latinos, Hispanics, Mexican-Americans, can't agree on what is "Chicano" art. However, before I get on my soap box and start rambling about the history, conjecture and repression of Chicano art, let me focus on the solution to this problem - support Chicano art!
Go to art galleries, buy the art work and demand that museums recognize Chicano art and only through these type of actions will our history, beliefs and culture be represented along with other great works of art. Cheech is a perfect example of what a supporter can do for the arts. He's brought attention, demand and recognition to the artwork. Thank you Cheech!
Now everyone else needs to do their part and go to the show and represent! I'll see you there.
pablo
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