Evening star., 1940-04-14
Precious Collection
0fMexican Arton
Wayto New York
Exhibit Covers 20
Centuries Of Nations
Art Expression

~ the Associated Press.
MEXICO CITY, April l3.-John
Abbott, an able young fellow, came
to Mexico last January a to spend
two weeks rounding up a Mexican
exhibit for the New York Museum
OF Modern Art, of which he is ex-
ecutive vice president.
Notwithstanding his efficiency
and the fact that Mexicans gener-
ally received him and his efforts cor
daily, 1t took him two months to
do the job.
But in those two months he OBJ
tanned the most remarkable exhibit
OF Mexican art ever assembled in
any one place, even in Mexico. It
covers 20 centuries of art expression,
fills three box cars and contains
more than 1000 precious objects
from all parts of the republic.
Mr.. Abbott is only "a years old,
but he has come to be regarded al
most as one of the modern miracle
men Of art because of exhibits at
the museum that not only have
pleased artists, but have delighted
the thousands of everyday folk who
formerly regarded museum officials
and artists as strange lot of peo-
pie who might well be let alone.
A Snowman.
It must be that Mr.. Abbott is a
Snowman, Notwithstanding that he
started out from Haverford College
to be Wall Street banker, and was
for a time. He became interested
IN movies as an expression of art.
The hobby led him to the museum.
His collection of the greatest library
of motion picture film in the world,
from all parts of the world, made
him executive head of the museum
Of which Nelson Rockefeller is
president.
Even Mr.. Abbott, whose dealings
with art and artists have made him
man of carefully-chose words,
says the exhibit of Mexican art is
something really magnificent" In
this land of Latin eloquence, the
Mexicans exhaust their superla-
tive adjectives in speaking about it.
The exhibit is to open in New
York early in May and run through
the summer. It will fill three gal
lery floors of the museum and a
large part of the garden. The dis
play is sponsored by the Mexican
government and the museum.
DR.. Alfonso Case, director of the
National Institute of Anthropology
and History of Mexico, is commits
sioner general of the exhibition and
personally selected the pre-Spanish
art. Prof. Manuel Toussaint of the
University of Mexico Is director of
the colonial art section; Roberto
Montenegro, the folk art section,
and Miguel Covarrubias the modern
art section.
Troops Guard It.
So precious is the exhibit that the
Mexican government assigned a de-
tachment of troops to guard the
treasures while they were being
loaded and transported to the bor-
der; even temporary removal of
some Of the pieces brought protests
from communities proud Of their
artistic gems. i
Every phase Of art expression Is
covered in the exhibition and it en-
braces 1000 years of artistic enter
prise.
For example. it presents a COM
plete survey of painting in the coun-
try with $50 oils by most famous liv-
ing painters and pieces by others
long dead, some so long their works
are anonymous.
There are exhibits of expression
of art in architecture, photography,
sculpture, wood carving, pottery,
textiles and so on. Included are
ancient sculptures, some so old
archaeologists do not yet know pre-
cisely their age. and made by people
whose origin is still source of
controversy among anthropologists
Models of ornate architecture of
the Colonial period, with paintings
and sculpture the buildings con-
tanned; toys, lacquer ware. masks,
costumes and decorations of straw,
tin and clay; paintings by contem-
porary artists such as Diego Rivera,
his ex-wife, Frida Kahlo; Jose Glenn
ente Orozco, Covarrubias, Siqueiros,
Chariot, Tamayo, Galvan and others
are in the huge display.
Folk Art the Liveliest.
Largest object is cast of Goat
licue" goddess of the earth and
DEATH. AS the original weighs sew
eral tons, casts were made and
packed in sections. Except for this
and few other figures too large to
be moved except in casts, all the
sculpture, more than 100 pieces, will
be originals. Some are known to be
1000 years old.
The popular or folk art section
will be the sprightliest, with its
daring use of colors and giving ex-
preston also to the native love of
beauty and the bizarre. It will
show mosaics, textiles, utensils, ce-
ramics, ornaments, lacquers, masks,
figures of straw, plaster and woods,
toys and innumerable other objects.
The Colonial section, covering the
period 1521-1820, will give a rich
picture of the effect of the Spanish
conquest on Mexican art and archi-
lecture. Models and huge photo
graphs will show the magnificent
baroque in richly carved and poly
chromed churches and sumptuous
palaces. Artists say the European
tradition brought by the Spaniards
was not superimposed upon, but
rather absorbed by, the native Mex
lean artists. One elaborate church
alter, packed piece by piece, is in
clllded.