Print Appraiser
Modern Mexican prints refer to the graphic work made in the period after the Mexican Revolution, from around 1920 to 1950. This was a time when the newly independent country was forming its cultural identity. Many artists emerged as national heroes. Many of the current social issues were documented through printmaking and murals. In 1937, the famous printshop, Taller de Gráfica Popular was founded in Mexico City.
Artists remembered for their contribution to modern printmaking in Mexico include: Rufino Tamayo, Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros. Many of these artists were influenced by the earlier work of José Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913). Posada made political lithographs and engravings, often commenting on classism in Mexico. Modern printmakers in Mexico followed Posada’s lead, using prints to comment on socio-political issues.
Common techniques used by modern Mexican printmakers include lithography, and woodcut. Tamayo is remembered for the technique mixografia, which he helped to innovate along with printer Luis Remba in the early 1970s. Mixografia is a three-dimensional method that involves printing from a relief collage.
Diego Rivera, without a doubt, has achieved the highest ranking in Mexican art. Rivera is known internationally as an accomplished painter, muralist and printmaker. Rivera’s lithographs range from a couple of thousand to several thousand dollars, depending on the edition. The work of Rivera’s contemporaries (Tamayo, Orozco and Siqueiros) is in major modern art collections around the world.