Folk Treasures of Mexico : The Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection

Shows pottery, carvings, ceramic figures, and masks

As displayed here, the late Nelson Rockefeller's diverse collection of historic and contemporary Mexican folk art--housed in the San Antonio Museum of Art and San Francisco's Mexican Museum--will captivate aficionados. Mexican popular arts touch all facets of daily life, from tortilla molds carved with animal or religious motifs to ex-votos, small paintings commissioned to commemorate recovery from illness or escape from danger. Serapes, embroidery, pull toys, dowry chests, masks and ceremonial objects attest to the Mexicans' exuberance and sense of ritual. A ghoulish earthenware Tree of Death and carefree sugar-paste figurines, shown here, present varied responses to the Indian fiesta known as the Day of the Dead. A tie-in with a traveling exhibition, this volume, a cornucopia of riches, includes 166 illustrations, commentaries by scholars and Rockefeller's own essay, written in 1978 but never before published, celebrating the continuity of Mexican culture.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Rockefeller's collection of Mexican indigenous art is housed in the San Antonio Museum of Art and San Francisco's Mexican Museum. Here it is showcased along with scholarly commentary and an essay written by Rockefeller but never before published. Created for utilitarian, ceremonial, decorative, and entertainment purposes, these icons, toys, textiles, carvings, earthenware, and paintings are here beautifully photographed. The book outlines the nature, philosophy, history, and importance of the collection, which offers insights into the essence of the culture and the society of the Mexican people. Both Carlos Espejel's The Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection of Mexican Folk Art (Chronicle, 1986) and Carl Fox's The Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection of Mexican Folk Art (Museum of Primitive Art, 1969) offer a much less comprehensive treatment. For large public and academic libraries with Latin American culture or folk art collections.
- Judith Yankielun Lind, Roseland Free P.L., N.J.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.