Significant donation of contemporary Mexican prints to the IAI
Press release from 03/22/2012
The Ibero-American Institute (IAI) received a valuable collection of contemporary prints and a sculpture from the Mexican Embassy as a generous donation from the Mexican government. The portfolio entitled "Estampas, independencia y revolución" (Prints, Independence and Revolution) brings together a collection of 52 original works by recognised Mexican and international artists, including Helen Escobedo, Leonora Carrington, Fernando Aceves Humana and Roberto Turnbull. In September 2012, the month of Mexico's bank holidays, woodcuts, lithographs, etchings and sculpture from this collection will be on display in an exhibition at the IAI for the first time in Germany.
In this project by the Museo Nacional de la Estampa of the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, the participating artists explored the theme of freedom in the context of Mexico's cultural and historical development, drawing on the rich artistic tradition of Mexican printmaking. They produced their works for the project in various printmaking workshops in the country. The portfolios, produced in an edition of 100 original editions to mark the 200th anniversary of Mexico's independence and the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution in 2010, will be awarded to a total of 50 institutions in Mexico and one institution in each of 50 countries worldwide.
The Mexican ambassador to Germany, Francisco N. González Díaz, recently presented the IAI with copy no. 39 of this special collection. He said: "Due to the long-standing friendship and excellent co-operation between my country and the IAI, the Institute was the only institution we considered for this donation. Mexico is certain that the artworks in the 'Estampas, independencia y revolución' collection will receive the attention they deserve here."
The director of the IAI, Barbara Göbel, emphasised: "We are very pleased about this donation. This is a sign of the special esteem in which our institute is held in the Ibero-American cultural area." The IAI already owns an extensive collection of prints from the influential Mexican printmaking workshop "Taller de Gráfica Popular (TGP)", primarily from the first half of the 20th century.
The Ibero-American Institute (IAI) is an interdisciplinary institution for scientific and cultural exchange with Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal. It houses Europe's largest specialised library for Ibero-American culture and also has a collection of posters, audio recordings, videos, maps and bequests. The IAI is both a non-university research institution and a cultural centre.