For Immediate Release
July 28, 2022

CLARK ART INSTITUTE PRESENTS LECTURE ON JOSÉ GUADALUPE POSADA AND THE PENNY PRESS

Williamstown, Massachusetts—On Sunday, July 31 at 2 pm, the Clark Art Institute hosts a talk by Dr. Diane Miliotes entitled “Calaveras, Catrinas, and Dandies: José Guadalupe Posada and the Penny Press.” Presented in conjunction with the Clark’s current exhibition, José Guadalupe Posada: Symbols, Skeletons, and Satire, the lecture takes place in the Clark’s auditorium and will be broadcast simultaneously via Zoom.

In this talk, Miliotes, who has written extensively on the artist and on Mexican printmaking in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, discusses graphic artist and illustrator José Guadalupe Posada and the historical context of his image production in nineteenth-century Mexico. Posada’s career spanned profound social and political changes in Mexico. Miliotes pays special attention to a number of key characters in Posada’s printmaking practice, including the iconic calaveras (skeletons) that are so closely associated with the artist.

José Guadalupe Posada (1852–1913) was recognized already in 1888 as “the foremost caricaturist, the foremost graphic artist” of his native Mexico. A tireless producer of caricatures and satirical imagery for the penny press, Posada built his career in an era of political repression and lived to see the profound social changes brought by the Mexican Revolution of 1910. His pictorial contributions to broadsides, or ephemeral news sheets, provided a daily diet of information and entertainment to a public for whom images needed to tell the story since literacy was not widely prevalent at that time. On view in the Eugene V. Thaw Gallery for Works on Paper through October 10, 2022, the Posada exhibition showcases the vibrant visual culture of Mexico in the years before its 1910 Revolution. 

José Guadalupe Posada: Symbols, Skeletons, and Satire is organized by the Clark Art Institute and curated by Anne Leonard, Manton Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs. This exhibition is drawn from the extensive Posada holdings of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas.

Free. Advance registration is required to view the Zoom transmission. Registrants will receive an email with a private Zoom link before the event. For more information and to register, visit clarkart.edu/events.

ABOUT THE CLARK
The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of more than 285,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.

The Clark, which has a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide, is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Its 140-acre campus includes miles of hiking and walking trails through woodlands and meadows, providing an exceptional experience of art in nature. Galleries are open 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday, from September through June, and daily in July and August. Advance tickets are strongly recommended. Admission is $20; free year-round for Clark members, all visitors age 21 and under, and students with a valid student ID. Free admission is available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; and EBT Card to Culture. For information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303. 

Use of facemasks is optional for all visitors. For details on health and safety protocols, visit clarkart.edu/health.

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