Beginning this Saturday, Aug. 24, visitors to the Figge Art Museum will be treated to striking lithographs by the revolutionary Mexican muralist and artist David Alfaro Siqueros.
The works on paper are on loan to the Davenport riverfront museum from the Deere & Co. collection.
Entitled the “Revolutionary Artist: The Prison Fantasies of David Alfaro Siqueiros,” the exhibit will be on view through Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in the second-floor Lewis Gallery at the museum at 225 W. Second St.
The gallery was renamed the Linda and J. Randolph Lewis Wing after the Davenport couple donated their art collection – valued at $14 million – to the Figge.
Mr. Siqueiros (1896-1974) was a pioneering force in Mexican mural painting and a founding figure of the modern school, alongside his contemporaries Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco, the Figge said in a news release.
Passionate about the transformative power of art in society, Mr. Siqueiros’ “Prison Fantasies” lithographic prints offer a profound glimpse into his expressive and revolutionary vision, the Figge said.
Mr. Siqueiros’ artistic journey was influenced by his studies with Jackson Pollock in New York. The suite of six lithographs captures the essence of Mr. Siqueiros’s masterful brushwork. It is characterized by loose and blurred strokes that showcase the artist’s evolution in technique.
Uniquely insightful
The exhibition also serves as a visual translation of incarceration’s emotional impact, providing viewers with a unique insight into Mr. Siqueiros’s tumultuous political and artistic life.
“The Figge is thrilled to be hosting this exciting loan from Deere & Company,” Figge Senior Co-Curator Joshua Johnson added. “Siqueiros’s history of political activism, unjust incarceration, and artistic excellence will be on full display in this intimate but powerful exhibition.”
In addition to Siqueiros’s lithographs, the exhibition features other complementary works on paper from the Figge’s permanent collection. They are by revolutionary artist friends and contemporaries including Mr. Rivera, Rufino Tamayo and Elizabeth Catlett.
This curated ensemble offers a comprehensive perspective on the interconnected lives and influences of these visionary artists during a pivotal period in history, the release said.
The Figge Art Museum’s mission is to bring art and people together. The Figge is the premier art exhibition and education facility between Chicago and Des Moines. Its landmark glass building was designed by British architect David Chipperfield. It is home to one of the Midwest’s finest art collections and presents world-class exhibitions, art classes, lectures and special events that attract visitors of all ages.
If you go
Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays; and 12-5 p.m. on Sundays.
Reservations are not required. They can be made, however at www.figgeartmuseum.org or by calling (563) 345-6632. Admission is $10 for adults, $6 for seniors and students with ID, and $4 for children ages 4-12.
Admission is free to Figge members and institutional members and to all on Thursday evenings. You can become a member for as little as $50 by visiting the Figge website. To contact the museum, please call (563) 326-7804, or visit www.figgeartmuseum.org.
