David Alfaro Siqueiros (Mexican, 1896-1974), Prison Fantasies I, 1973, lithograph on paper, Collection of Deere & Company, © 1973 David Alfaro Siqueiros
Thursday, October 17, 5 p.m.
Figge Art Museum, 225 West Second Street, Davenport IA
Held in conjunction with the venue's current exhibition Revolutionary Artist: The Prison Fantasies of David Alfaro Siqueiros, Davenport's Figge Art Museum will host a special Artist Celebration in honor of the exhibit's creator, the October 18 event inviting guests to participate in mural-making activities while learning about Siqueiros from Figge curators.
Siqueiros passionately lived his belief that art had the power to revolutionize society. The suite of six lithographic prints on display in Revolutionary Artist shows Siqueiros’ work at its most expressive, incorporating the loose blurred brushwork he developed while studying with Jackson Pollock in New York. With the artist having been jailed multiple times due to his labor-union work and revolutionary political activities, these late works by Siqueiros visually translate incarceration’s emotional toll. Revolutionary Artist explores Siqueiros’s tumultuous political and artistic life, and included in the exhibition are works on paper from the Figge’s permanent collection by Siqueiros’s revolutionary artist friends and contemporaries Diego Rivera, Rufino Tamayo, and Elizabeth Catlett.
This exhibition serves as a visual translation of incarceration's emotional impact, providing viewers with a unique insight into Siqueiros' tumultuous political and artistic life, and as stated by the museum's senior co-curator Joshua Johnson, "The Figge is thrilled to be hosting this exciting loan from Deere and Company. Siqueiros's history of political activism, unjust incarceration, and artistic excellence will be on full display in this intimate but powerful exhibition." Among his other notable accomplishments, Siqueiros is famed for founding the modern school of Mexican mural painting alongside his contemporaries Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco.
In addition to Siqueiros's lithographs, Revolutionary Artist: The Prison Fantasies of David Alfaro Siqueiro features complementary works on paper from the Figge's permanent collection by his revolutionary artist friends and contemporaries, including Diego Rivera, Rufino Tamayo, and Elizabeth Catlett. This curated ensemble offers a comprehensive perspective on the interconnected lives and influences of these visionary artists during a pivotal period in history.
The Artist Celebration for David Alfaro Siqueiros will take place on October 18, with the Figge bar open and refreshments available at 5 p.m., curator remarks at 5:30 p.m., and the mural-making activity at 6 p.m. Admission to the event is free, Revolutionary Artist: The Prison Fantasies of David Alfaro Siqueiros itself will be on display through January 5, and more information is available by calling (563)326-7804 and visiting FiggeArtMuseum.org.
