David Alfaro Siqueiros (Mexican, 1896-1974), Prison Fantasies I, 1973, lithograph on paper, Collection of Deere & Company, © 1973 David Alfaro Siqueiros
Saturday, August 24, through Sunday, January 5
Figge Art Museum, 225 West Second Street, Davenport IA
With the Figge Art Museum hosting an intimate exhibition on loan from the Deere & Company collection, Revolutionary Artist: The Prison Fantasies of David Alfaro Siqueiros, on display in the Davenport venue from August 24 through January 5, will treat patrons to evocative works by the artist (1896-1974) who founded the modern school of Mexican mural painting alongside his contemporaries Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco.
Siqueiros passionately lived his belief that art had the power to revolutionize society. This suite of six lithographic prints shows Siqueiros’s 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 will explore 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's 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."
In addition to Siqueiros's lithographs, Revolutionary Artist: The Prison Fantasies of David Alfaro Siqueiro will feature 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.
Revolutionary Artist: The Prison Fantasies of David Alfaro Siqueiros will be on display in the Davenport venue's Lewis Gallery from August 24 through January 5, with regular museum hours 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays (10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursdays) and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Museum admission is $4-10, and for more information, call (563)326-7804 and visit FiggeArtMuseum.org.
