David Alfaro Siqueiros. Photo: Luis Garza
América Tropical: The Martyr Mural of Siqueiros, a KCET ARTBOUND Documentary
GETTY CENTER
Harold M. Williams Auditorium
This is a past event
This new KCET ARTBOUND documentary delves into the story of América Tropical, a large-scale outdoor mural painted by David Alfaro Siqueiros.
Mexican social realist painter David Alfaro Siqueiros created Olvera Street’s popular América Tropical introducing an innovative and unprecedented technique to muralism that required revolutionary techniques and materials. Originally unveiled in 1932, the mural was eventually whitewashed after drawing the ire of Olvera Street officials. America Tropical is considered the most-studied whitewashed mural in the United States.
The mural and Siqueiros inspired many contemporary muralists working today including those profiled in the film—3B Collective, Erin Yoshi and Fabian Debora (Homeboy Art Academy). The film also features commentary from Rubén Ortiz-Torres, Harry Gamboa Jr., Isabel Rojas-Williams and more.
The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Susan Macdonald, head of Buildings and Sites at Getty Conservation Institute. Panelists include, Edgar Garcia, assistant general manager of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument; Omar Foglio, filmmaker and cofounder of Dignicraft; and Leslie Rainer wall paintings conservator and senior project specialist at Getty Conservation Institute.
Conserving and Protecting the Mural
In the early 1990s, Getty and the City of Los Angeles conceived a project to conserve, protect, and make publicly accessible América Tropical. The coordination, design, and implementation of the project lasted over twenty years, and in October 2012, on the 80th anniversary of its original unveiling, Getty and the City of Los Angeles reopened the mural to the public.
The reopened mural includes a new protective shelter to protect the mural from direct exposure to sun and rain, a rooftop platform for public viewing, and the América Tropical Interpretive Center, which explores the history and techniques used to create América Tropical, the conservation process, and the artistic legacy of David Alfaro Siqueiros.