The female presence in art is revalued at the National Museum of San Carlos

The National Museum of San Carlos presents a sample of its collection in homage to the researcher Leonor Cortina

Kevin Aragon | The Sun of Mexico

With only 16 works made by women out of the total of 2,100 pieces under the protection of the National Museum of San Carlos (MNSC), authorities of this museum space recognize the existing gender imbalance in the collection of pictorial works in the collection at their post. And although they are seeking to counteract this situation with the acquisition of new works, they admit that it is not an easy task.

This was explained by Mireida Velázquez, director of the MNSC, prior to the opening of the exhibition Painting as Feminine: Women in the Mexican Art System 1846-1940. Tribute to Leonor Cortina, with which the work of the artists in the history of national art is revalued.
Among the figures that stand out in this exhibition are the first documented Mexican artist, María Guadalupe de Moncada y Barrio; Guadalupe Velasco, daughter of José María Velasco, Carmela Duarte Zuckerman, who portrayed Porfirio Díaz, as well as the muralist María Izquierdo and Nahi Olin from Veracruz.

“The acquisition problem is historical, because women did not have equal access to education and equal access to exhibition spaces. It is with the recognition of this that we will be able to transform these percentages. We would like to say that 50 percent of our works are by women, but history tells us that they had to work against the current. That is what we want to be very evident in this exhibition”, said the also researcher.

WORKS IN PROCESS OF DONATION

For her part, Zyanya Ortega, curator and researcher of the exhibition, which has 150 works by 49 artists, from various institutions, foundations and individuals, pointed out that four pieces are in the process of being donated. Three of them are by the Mexico City artist Pilar de la Hidalga García (1843-1901): Stable Scene (Hens), Stable Scene (Sheep) and Dolorosa at the Foot of the Cross; as well as one more by the artist Susana Pérez, Bodegón con flores.

The specialist added that the acquisition of parts requires laborious research, location, identification and management work. Several of the pieces made by women have been found, in rare occurrences, for sale in art galleries.

“Acquiring right now is difficult because of the resources we have. And also, as many of the works of these women are in homes, various descendants do not want to get rid of them, they want to pass them on to the next generation, very few pieces come to the market to say that we are going to buy so many works per year. Really, there are few times that pieces, especially by nineteenth-century authors, come out on the market.

PIONEER OF THE ART STUDIO MADE BY MEXICANS

Mireida Velázquez highlighted that one of the intentions of this exhibition is to offer a tribute to the teacher in Art History, Leonor Cortina, who has worked as a curator, researcher and writer in various print media and institutions, including El Sol de México and the same MNSC, of which she was director. The first studies on nineteenth-century art made by women are attributed to her. This is how she presented in 1985 the exhibition Mexican Painters of the 19th Century at the same venue.

“When Leonor Cortina began to study these artists, there was not so much information. She was searching among her acquaintances for the clues that made up that exhibition. At that time in the United States, South America and Europe there were already exhibitions of women, but not with a perspective of recovery and making them known.

“It is from there that theories begin to be taken into consideration, for example by Griselda Pollock, to see history from a gender perspective,” said the official who recognizes the existence of generations of curators, curators and historians.

FROM TALENTED LADIES TO ARTISTS

Divided into five thematic nuclei, with oil paintings, engravings, drawing and photography, the exhibition welcomes the public with an introduction to art from the MNSC collection, European art made by women, which served as an example of various artists in our country. .
This is followed by a broad section on the condition of female artists during the 19th century, in which, due to rules of modesty and behavior, women learned to use pictorial techniques, without being allowed to learn too much.

There is also talk of the exhibition spaces in which they were able to show their works. Between 1850 and 1898, 144 women exhibited copies of works, still lifes, portraits, genre scenes, and original works. This, followed by a section in which emphasis is placed on their participation within the academies; as well as the artistic proposal of women in the context of the avant-garde, already in the 20th century. Thus, the exhibition is a reflection of the transition of women from being considered "talented ladies" or professional and recognized artists.

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