Leopoldo Méndez
Freedom of the Press (“We Adopt a Patriarchal Policy,” Porfirio Díaz) (Libertad de prensa; “Adoptamos una política patriarcal”, Porfirio Díaz)1947

Not on view

Artist or Maker: Leopoldo Méndez
Mexico, Mexico City, 1902-1969
Title: Freedom of the Press (“We Adopt a Patriarchal Policy,” Porfirio Díaz) (Libertad de prensa; “Adoptamos una política patriarcal”, Porfirio Díaz)
Date Made: 1947
Medium: Linocut
Dimensions: Sheet: 15 3/4 × 10 5/8 in. (40.01 × 26.99 cm); image: 11 3/4 × 8 1/4 in. (29.85 × 20.96 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Jules and Gloria Heller
Accession Number: M.2003.92.52
Classification: Prints
Collecting Area: Latin American Art
Curatorial Notes: Created for the portfolio Estampas de la Revolución Mexicana (Prints of the Mexican Revolution), this image demonstrates one of the strategies artists of the Taller de Gráfica Popular used in their creation of political graphics. In this print by Leopoldo Méndez, the artist turns to satire to critique the persecution of journalists—including printmakers—under the authoritarian regime of Porfirio Díaz (1830–1915).

From exhibition Pressing Politics: Revolutionary Graphics from Mexico and Germany, 2022
Provenance: Taller de Gráfica Popular, Mexico City, 1947; Dr. Jules Heller (1919–2007), Scottsdale, Arizona, 1947; LACMA, 2003.
Selected Exhibition History: Pressing Politics: Revolutionary Graphics from Mexico and Germany. October 29, 2022 - July 22, 2023
Pressing Politics: Revolutionary Graphics from Mexico and Germany. October 29, 2022 - July 22, 2023