LACMA is thrilled to return to the LA County Fair for the second year in a row, presenting Rufino Tamayo: Innovation and Experimentation. Spanning six decades of work by the acclaimed Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo (1899–1991), this exhibition highlights his inventive approach to printmaking. Tamayo was interested in experimenting with prints to find new ways to add volume and texture to a traditionally two-dimensional medium. This engagement led to the development of Mixografía, a new printmaking process which allowed the artist to create three-dimensional designs and is featured in several works in the exhibition. A unifying thread in the exhibition is Tamayo’s depiction of the human figure, which became progressively more abstract while still retaining the recognizable form of a body.
The exhibition also includes a selection of Mesoamerican sculptures, which, like the prints, are all from LACMA’s collection. Tamayo himself was an avid collector of ancient Mexican art, and similar objects provided important sources of inspiration for the artist. Installed together, the juxtaposition of Tamayo’s prints with ancient sculptures calls attention to the visual connections between the textures, forms, and other details of the works.
The exhibition is on view in the Fair’s Millard Sheets Art Center. Artist Millard Sheets (1907–1989) served as director of the fine arts program at the LA County Fair from 1931 to 1956, organizing annual exhibitions to bring visual art to fairgoers in Southern California. In 1950 he curated Masters of Art from 1790 to 1950, which featured over 70 paintings and sculptures by prominent artists from Europe and North America, including Tamayo’s 1942 painting Dog Howling at the Moon. In 1994 the Fair’s arts building was renamed after Sheets, honoring his commitment to showing exceptional art to the Fair's audiences. Today, LACMA and the LA County Fair continue Sheets’ vision, reintroducing Tamayo’s work to the Fairplex and sharing the museum’s collections across Los Angeles County.
Rufino Tamayo: Innovation and Experimentation runs through May 27. The exhibition is free with LA County Fair admission. The Fair is open Thursdays through Sundays, plus Memorial Day, Monday, May 27. Catch it here before it continues on tour to the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas, this November!