Zapata
Artist
David Alfaro Siqueiros
(Mexican, 1896 - 1974)
Dateca. 1930
MediumLithograph on paper
DimensionsImage: 20 7/8 × 15 5/8 inches (53.02 × 39.69 cm)
Sheet: 32 × 23 inches (81.28 × 58.42 cm)
Sheet: 32 × 23 inches (81.28 × 58.42 cm)
Credit LineGift of Richard S. Davis
Object number53-32
Edition/State/Proof19/35
On View
Not on viewCollections
Gallery LabelMexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata (1879–1919) fought for land rights for the country’s indigenous population and championed peasants’ struggles in southern Mexico. He led his guerilla Liberation Army of the South with the rallying cry “Tierra y Libertad” (“Land and Liberty”).
David Alfaro Siqueiros left the San Carlos Academy of Fine Arts in Mexico City in 1913 to fight in the revolution himself. For his posthumous portrait of Zapata, Siqueiros adopted a conventional approach for honoring great leaders by depicting him on horseback. He also presented Zapata, renowned for his equestrian skills, in a traditional charro (horseman) costume complete with a broad-brimmed, high-peaked sombrero. Zapata and his mount fill the entire composition, emphasizing the rebel’s larger-than-life quality as an icon of the revolution.
David Alfaro Siqueiros left the San Carlos Academy of Fine Arts in Mexico City in 1913 to fight in the revolution himself. For his posthumous portrait of Zapata, Siqueiros adopted a conventional approach for honoring great leaders by depicting him on horseback. He also presented Zapata, renowned for his equestrian skills, in a traditional charro (horseman) costume complete with a broad-brimmed, high-peaked sombrero. Zapata and his mount fill the entire composition, emphasizing the rebel’s larger-than-life quality as an icon of the revolution.
Richard S. Davis (1917–1985), Wayzata, MN, by December 26, 1952 [1];
Given by Davis to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1953.
NOTES:
[1] Lt. Richard Siebe Davis, USNR, was a curator (1948–56) and then director (1956–59) at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. From January–May 1946 while assigned to Tokyo, Davis served as a “Monuments Man” in the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) Section during World War II.
Copyright© Estate of David Alfaro Siqueiros / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SOMAAP, Mexico City
Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information,
is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete.
Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a
particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum.
If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image,
please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.
