September 23, 2003 Library of Congress Seeks Contemporary Latin American Art

The Library of Congress is currently collaborating with the Embassy of Mexico and cultural attaches from 20 Iberian and Latin American countries to invite contemporary graphic artists to donate their work to its permanent collection of prints and photographs. Known as the Latin American Graphic Art Project, the effort draws upon the expertise of the staff of the Library’s Prints and Photograph Division and Hispanic Division.

Latin American artists have traditionally drawn from a rich cultural heritage to create works of great beauty. The Library of Congress has a strong history of collecting this material, particularly works by early to mid-20th century Spanish and Mexican artists. The goal of the Library’s Latin American Graphic Art Project is to supplement the collection with works by contemporary artists who continue to forge new styles and forms.

The collection, which is accessible to researchers in the Library’s Prints and Photographs Reading Room, currently contains prints created by more than 130 Latin American printmakers from 12 countries, including Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay and Venezuela. Notable creators include Mauricio Lasansky from Argentina, Sergio Gonzales-Tornero from Chile, Emilio Sanchez from Cuba, Eduardo Kingman from Ecuador, Carlos Merida from Guatemala, the great Mexican muralists Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueros, as well as Joan Miro, Pablo Picasso, Federico Castellon and Salvador Dali from Spain. The Library’s holdings also include extensive collections of works by the Taller de Grafica Popular, the popular printmaker Jose Guadelupe Posada and the caricaturist and anthropologist Miguel Covarrubias.

The Library is exploring a future exhibition featuring the new acquisitions by contemporary artists.