Lecture at Mexican Museum to Honor Jose Guadalupe Posada, 12/14

In celebration of the life of Jose Guadalupe Posada, The Mexican Museum is proud to present a special lecture by guest curator Jim Nikas entitled "Dialogos Gráficos and the Search for José Guadalupe Posada" on Saturday, Dec. 14 from 1-2:30 p.m.This year marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Posada, the renowned Mexican artist. The lecture is free. The public and media are invited to attend. Visuals are available upon request.

While most widely known as the "grandfather of Mexican printmaking," Posada is also famous for his Day of the Dead calaveras and his imagery's powerful influence on other noteworthy artists, such as Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and the Taller de Grafica Popular, an artist's print collective formed in Mexico in 1937 to advance revolutionary social causes. Yet, little is known about the man himself. Was Posada a revolutionary? Did he fight against the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz? Did he really create 20,000 images in his lifetime? And how could someone of such talent and influence have been buried in an unmarked mass grave?

Guest lecturer Nikas oversees one of the largest private collections of Posada's work in the United States and is the producer of the soon-to-be released documentary about Posada's life, "ART and Revolutions." His lecture will share new discoveries about the artist's life and times, and explore and explode many of the myths that continue to permeate Posada's life history. Nikas will also touch on the significance of The Mexican Museum's current exhibit of Posada works, "Dialogos Gráficos."

For more information, call the museum, (415) 202-9700 or email info@mexicanmuseum.org.

The Mexican Museum is located at Fort Mason Center, Building D, and is open Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.