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Cabeza de Indio / Diego Rivera

Gallery Label

This monochromatic portrait could represent an archetypal figure rather than an individual person. The man’s form is exaggerated, with a drawn face and wrinkled brow that appear to emphasize the labored existence of Mexico’s many indigenous people in the post-revolutionary period. His head shape may also refer to a Mesoamerican head-binding practice that resulted in cranial elongation.

Este retrato monocromático podría representar una figura arquetípica más que un individuo. La forma del hombre está exagerada, con una cara demacrada y ceño arrugado que parecen enfatizar la difícil existencia de los muchos pueblos indígenas mexicanos del periodo posrevolucionario. La forma de la cabeza tal vez se refiera también a ciertas prácticas mesoamericanas de vendar las cabezas de los recién nacidos para alargar el cráneo.

From the exhibition: Mexican Modernism: Revolution & Reckoning, August 29, 2019 - August 30, 2020.
Alison Rossi, Director of Learning and Community Engagement, 2019.

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Title(s): 
Cabeza de Indio; Portrait of an Indigenous Man; Head of Indian
Creator(s): 
Diego Rivera (Artist)
Culture: 
Mexican
Date: 
1937
Place: 
México
Materials/Techniques: 
oil on masonite
Classification: 
Object Type: 
Credit Line: 
Gift of the Thomas Gilcrease Foundation, 1955
Accession No: 
01.2022
Previous Number(s): 
0147.2022; 15176
Department: 
Not On View

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