Cara a cara / Face to Face

About the Exhibit

Beginning in the 1960s, many Mexican American artists supported the Chicano movement for civil rights. They adopted the name of Chicana or Chicano to signify the political and social concern of their work on behalf of their communities. Cara a cara / Face to Face presents a selection of Chicano artists who have chosen portraiture as a form of personal, cultural, or political affirmation. Working in a variety of media, ranging from traditional printmaking to digital photography, these artists deal with issues of social justice as they depict people from all walks of life. Their portraits celebrate the resilience, the perseverance, and the stories of individuals belonging to Mexican American communities across the United States. Our visitors are invited to meet them, face to face, in the galleries.

Cara a cara / Face to Face is the first presentation in the Blanton’s Latino art galleries, which celebrate the Gilberto Cárdenas and Dolores Garcia Collection, one of most important collections of Chicano and Latino art in the world.

Curated by Vanessa Davidson, Curator, Latin American Art, Blanton Museum of Art, and Florencia Bazzano, Assistant Curator, Latin American Art, Blanton Museum of Art

Image Gallery

Press

artnet, In a Bid to Become a Destination for Latino Art, the Blanton Museum in Texas Just Acquired More Than 5,000 Works

ARTnews, The Blanton Museum in Texas Has Added More Than 5,000 Works by Latinx and Chicanx Artists to its Collection

Texas Standard, Austin’s Blanton Museum acquires one of the largest private collections of Latino and Chicano art

Feature Image Credit

Dulce Pinzón, Minerva Valencia, from Puebla, works as a nanny in New York. She sends 400 dollars a week, from the series, The Real Story of the Superheroes, 2005, photographs, Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, Gilberto Cárdenas Collection, gift of Gilberto Cárdenas and Dolores Garcia, 2023