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Exhibitions

Carmen Parra: :  Suave Patria

March 20 – August 9, 2015
(Detail) Carmen Parra, La fundación de México, 2010, oil on canvas

Since childhood, Carmen Parra (b.1944, Mexico City) was exposed to both colonial and Mesoamerican art, which made a lifelong impression on her. She studied art in Mexico, Italy and England. She has done set design for several plays, and has illustrated a variety of publications. Carmen Parra investigates, examines, creates and re-creates all subjects that passionately thrill her. In Carmen Parra: Suave Patria the artist reveals to us her love of Mexico by way of its symbols, natural wonders and sacred spaces. The royal eagle, the monarch butterfly, the Main (Aztec) Temple and the Metropolitan Cathedral are themes that unify this exhibition.

Participating Artists

Carmen Parra

Curator

Dolores Mercado

Organizing Institution

National Museum of Mexican Art in collaboration with the Consulado General de México en Chicago, Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE) and Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes

Displayed at

National Museum of Mexican Art Rubin and Paula Torres Gallery

Gallery Views

All images below are a glimpse into the exhibition for those who could not attend in person. Photo credit: Michael Tropea

Exhibition Highlights

  • exhibiton title wall with two art pieces hanging, with one in the background to the left of the wall.
    1 / 6Visible Carmen Parra Artwork (L-R): Altar de los Reyes, serigraph on paper; San Juan y el Ángel, 1997, oil and gold leaf on linen; Mariposas y calaveras, 2006, mixed media on canvas.
  • exhibition introduction text on the left wall with four other visible art pieces on the wall.
    2 / 6Visible Carmen Parra Artwork (L-R): Virgen de Guadalupe, 2014, oil and gold leaf; Tan pordiosero el cuerpo, 2009, oil; Altar de los Reyes, serigraph; San Juan y el Ángel, 1997, oil and gold leaf.
  • four art pieces hang on the dark blue gallery walls.
    3 / 6Visible Carmen Parra Artwork (L-R): Virgen de Guadalupe, 2014, oil and gold leaf; Tan pordiosero el cuerpo, 2009, oil; Altar de los Reyes, serigraph; Órgano de la Catedral, 2014, acrylic and sand.
  • three artworks: Virgin Mary surrounded by angels, a polyptych, and an altar
    4 / 6Visible Carmen Parra Artwork (L-R): Virgen de Guadalupe, 2014, oil and 22 K gold leaf on canvas; Tan pordiosero el cuerpo, 2009, oil on canvas; Altar de los Reyes, serigraph on paper.
  • Seven different art pieces hang on the walls, all following the theme of monarch butterflies.
    5 / 6A collection of different art pieces depicting butterflies.
  • pink, orange, brown painting; a gold yellow monochrome art piece of a cathedral, and an abstract painting depicting monarch butterflies.
    6 / 6Visible Carmen Parra Artwork (L-R): San Miguel Arcángel, 2014, acrylic and gold leaf on wood; Y la tierra subió al cielo III, 1996, oil on wood; Lepidóptero viajero, 1993, acrylic on canvas.

Additional Exhibition Highlights

  • eight works of art hang on the gallery walls.
    1 / 6Overview of Exhibition.
  • center of gallery is a pillar with nine pieces of artwork displayed
    2 / 6Overview of Exhibition.
  • four art pieces hang on the gallery walls.
    3 / 6Visible Artwork (L-R): Y la tierra subió al cielo III, 1996, oil on wood; Altar de los Arcángeles, 2009, oil and gold leaf on wood; Altar de los Arcángeles de la Catedral Metropolitana, 2008, oil.
  • an art piece that's dark blue and gold, and an art piece that's orange monochrome
    4 / 6Visible Carmen Parra Artwork (L-R): Altar de los Arcángeles de la Catedral Metropolitana, 2008, oil; El Cristo del veneno, 1981, mixed media on paper; Altar del perdón, 1981, oil on canvas.
  • five art pieces hanging on gallery wall
    5 / 6Visible (L-R): Suave Patria, 2010, etching and aquatint; El Águila en la Nación XI, 2010, low relief; De la serie El vuelo del Águila VII, 2011, oil; San Miguel Arcángel, 2014, acrylic and gold leaf.
  • six artworks hang on the walls
    6 / 6Visible (L-R): Altar del perdón, 1981, oil on canvas; Ángel sobre teclado, 1988, oil on canvas; Catedral con palomas, s.f. / n.d., oil on canvas; La fundación de México, 2010, oil on canvas.

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