A Century of Art in Latin America

About This Event

The Denver Art Museum (DAM) announces its next Fox Gallery exhibition A Century of Art in Latin America opens June 15, 2025, on view through June 15, 2027, in the Latin American Art galleries on level four of the museum’s Martin building. A Century of Art in Latin America will be included in general admission, which is free for everyone 18 and under as well as for museum members. “We are delighted and eternally grateful that this collection is promised to the Denver Art Museum,” said Christoph Heinrich, Frederick and Jan Mayer Director of the Denver Art Museum. “Exclusively featuring works from the esteemed John and Sandy Fox Collection, we will showcase a wide variety of pieces, including sculptures, paintings, textiles, prints, and mixed media works. These works will provide a deep dive into the diverse creative movements that have shaped the region’s artistic landscape.” From soaring mountains and scorching deserts to sprawling forests and splendid beaches, Latin America is a vast place. As a concept, it tries to contain cultures and landscapes with millennia of differing histories under one name. Works that artists from Latin America created during the 20th and current 21st century showcase a range of practices as complex as the places they call home. While previous exhibitions have centered around a single art movement, such as Surrealism or Abstraction, A Century of Art in Latin America will offer a broader and more inclusive exploration of the rich and varied artistic trends across the region. This exhibition will encompass an array of styles, time periods, nationalities, and mediums, presenting a comprehensive survey of Latin American art throughout the past one hundred years. “While the term Latin America does not properly homage the complexity of the cultural narratives in this region, this show does. A Century of Art in Latin America from its framing redefines the idea of art being defined by its shared cultural or ethnic heritage. For the past 100 years and counting, artists of this region have not subscribed and currently do not to one “style”, “type” or “medium” of art. They are simply artists expressing themselves in a variety of ways, using a mix of mediums, reflecting the diverse region and people that call this part of the world home,” said Raphael Fonseca, Head of Department of Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art at the Denver Art Museum. Artists featured in this show represent the depth and range of Latin American art to the world. While they studied and showed their art in Europe and the United States, they knew how to blend their local visual cultures and traditions with mainstream artistic movements. Despite their fame, they still only represent a small part of the region’s art-historical legacy. This group of works, from the Collection of John and Sandy Fox, demonstrates how any attempt to define “Latin American art” will always fail—something always escapes classification. A Century of Art in Latin America will highlight iconic historical figures such as Diego Rivera, whose monumental murals captured the political and social currents of Mexico, and Roberto Matta, a central figure in the Surrealist movement. Alongside these masters, the show will also feature works by Olga de Amaral, whose intricate textiles blend traditional techniques with modern sensibilities, as well as contemporary trailblazers like Alexander Apóstol and Tessa Mars. Together, these pieces will provide a multifaceted perspective on the evolution of Latin American art, celebrating both its historical depth and its vital contemporary voices. A Century of Art in Latin America is organized by the Denver Art Museum. It is made possible through the generous promised gifts of art and funding by John and Sandy Fox.  Additional support is provided by the Elder Family Giving Fund, the donors to the Annual Fund Leadership Campaign and the residents who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). Promotional support is provided by 5280 Magazine and CBS Colorado.