Synopses & Reviews
In the twentieth century, avant-garde artists from Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean created extraordinary and highly innovative paintings, sculptures, assemblages, mixed-media works, and installations. This innovative book presents more than 250 works by some seventy of these artists (including Gego, Joaquín Torres-García, Xul Solar, and José Clemente Orozco) and artists’ groups, along with interpretive essays by leading authorities and newly translated manifestoes and other theoretical documents written by the artists. Together the images and texts showcase the astonishing artistic achievements of the Latin American avant-garde.
The book focuses on two decisive periods: the return from Europe in the 1920s of Latin American avant-garde pioneers; and the expansion of avant-garde activities throughout Latin America after World War II as artists expressed their independence from developments in Europe and the United States. As the authors explain, during these periods Latin American art was fueled by the belief that artistic creations could present a form of utopia--an inversion of the original premise that drove the European avant-garde--and serve as a model for a new society.
As an insightful source for new ideas about the nature and function of modern art, Inverted Utopias is an essential book that will become a classic text in the field.
Review
This landmark book showcases the innovative works of Latin American avant-garde artists of the twentieth century. Lavishly illustrated with more than 500 images, the volume features interpretations by leading authorities and newly translated manifestoes by the artists themselves.--andgt;
Review
and#8220;[This] ample catalog . . . is packed with writings and manifestoes of the Latin avant-garde that have never before been translated into English.and#8221;and#8212;Lyle Rexer, New York Times
Synopsis
Visionary, inspired, and original, contemporary Latin American artists draw from influences near and far. This colorful survey, which features 178 carefully selected works, celebrates some of the most exciting modern Latin American artworks to date, and also shows North American and European works that offered inspiration to these artists. Included are works by such masters as Alexander Calder and Joaquin Torres-Garcia, and by younger artists such as Carmelo Arden Quin, Juan Bay, and Alberto Biasi. The book covers New Realist and geometric abstract art of the 1940s and 1950s; optical and kinetic art from the 1950s and 1970s; and contemporary works from the 1970s to the present day, including abstract art, architecture projects, and art that incorporates new technologies.
Synopsis
Cosmopolitan Routes situates 20th-century Latin American art as an evolving discourse of individual impulses, universal themes, and shared ideas. It further illustrates the parallels between works produced in Latin America and the artistic movements that have come to define modern and contemporary art on a global level. Showcased in detail are nearly 100 masterworks from Houston collections, ranging from early Modernist and postwar pieces to contemporary creations by artists from Uruguay, Brazil, Venezuela, and Mexico. From the Constructive Universalism of Uruguayan artist Joaquín Torres-Garcia to the figurative and Surrealist work of artists such as Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, and Pedro Friedeberg, a host of diverse movements are represented. All of the works demonstrate the depth and quality of Latin American artistic expression as well as the spirit of diversity and exploration involved in the quest for collecting art.
Synopsis
'\'Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez (b. 1923) is one of the greatest artistic innovators of the 20th and 21st centuries. Best known for experimenting with light and movement, and for stimulating the dialogue between the stable and unstable use of color, his pieces engage viewers on a multisensory level. Through the use of unconventional materials, Cruz-Diez strives to create art that is sophisticated in construction and theory while also accessible to viewers. Combining the principles of kinetic art (sculptured works that have an aspect of motion) with color theory, optics, machine engineering, digital printing technologies, and the painter\\\'s craft, Cruz-Diez\\\'s works defy standard categorization.
This monumental volume traces the full trajectory of the artist\\\'s career, from early, rarely published figurative works, to interactive series that continue to this day, to architectural projects in public spaces around the world. The book features an essay, an interview with Cruz-Diez, a selection of his own writings, texts by three early champions of his work, and an illustrated chronology. \''
About the Author
Domitille dOrgeval has taught contemporary art at the Sorbonne.
Laurent Salomé is director of the Musée des Beaux-Arts and the Musées de la Ville de Rouen.
Matthieu Poirier is a teacher and researcher at the Sorbonne.
Serge Lemoine is the former director of the Musée dOrsay.