Folk Treasures of Mexico is an important collection of Mexican folk art compiled by Nelson A. Rockefeller between 1933-1978. The group of approximately eighty pieces in a broad range of materials, includes a large cross-section of artworks and cultural objects from 12 different Mexican states. On loan from the San Antonio Museum of Art, the artworks represent a comprehensive view of Mexico’s cultural heritage.

A set of large-scale papier-mâché devil figures greets exhibition visitors, while paintings on tin and canvas and small wooden toy horses and caballeros (cowboys) are contrasted with religious scroll paintings and ceremonial objects. The works were created to reflect multiple activities connected to ritual, recreation and daily life. The function of many of the popular crafted objects is outlined in interpretative panels that clarify the importance of the different religious expressions found in various Mexican states, and further defines the role of the collector.

Nelson Rockefeller began collecting Mexican folk art after his first trip in the 1930s, and continued to do so for some forty years, including the time he was Vice President of the United States. Rockefeller lived with these strong imaginative pieces in his home and after his death in 1979, the majority of the collection was donated to the San Antonio Museum of Art in Texas, with a smaller grouping given to the Mexican Museum in San Francisco.

www.tacomaartmuseum.org

Allyn Cantor