The publication focuses on the construction of different notions of mexicanidad within all forms of modernist and contemporary art created in Los Angeles. The period from 1945 to 1985 is when the metropolis consolidated itself as an important cultural center. However, this time frame excludes the controversial and important presence of the Mexican muralists. It is often perceived that the city’s Mexican culture comes from elsewhere, when in fact it originated locally—it was in Los Angeles and Southern California where José Vasconcelos, Ricardo Flores Magón, Octavio Paz, and other intellectuals developed the idea of modern Mexico. The purpose of this exhibition is to understand how nationalism and internationalism are constructions of modernism that are not necessarily exclusive but often complementary and enable the formation of Mexican, American, or Chicano art in the first place.
 
Exhibition schedule: Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach, September 18, 2011–January 29, 2012