Are there any longtime expats in Guadalajara and its environs who have never visited its largest and prettiest public building and best art museum, which also happens to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site? Surprisingly, yes. The opening of an enormous exhibit at the Instituto Cultural Cabañas showcasing local artistic luminaries from the 19th to 21st centuries could change that.
According to its curators, “Exposición Colección Pueblo de Jalisco — Acervos Cabañas” (Heritage of the People of Jalisco — Cabañas Collection) first took form in 1967 as an effort to represent and collect local 20th century artists, but only received the push that brought it to fruition in 2015 when the state acquired a few new pieces that were added to this permanent collection.
The exhibit, filling six large salons, definitely has a modern feel to it—the earliest piece I saw was a ceramic sculpture of a charro (cowboy) on horseback that probably dates from the late 1800s, by Tlaquepaque legend Pantaleon Panduro.
The show boasts a lot of José Clemente Orozco’s sketches, drawings and paintings — unsurprising, since the principal mission of the Cabañas is to house and protect the work of the area’s best known artist, who in the 1940s painted the masterful murals on the dome and high places of the room once used for worship by the orphans sheltered at the institution, leading at least one person (me) to dub it Guadalajara’s Sistine Chapel. But keep in mind that the murals in the Cabañas chapel have a distinctly anti-religious tone, unless a viewer is completely blind to Orozco’s critical symbolism.
Other than Orozco’s work, the exhibit, which may rotate a bit during its seven months in order to show more of the collection, consists of a dizzying selection of local art luminaries, of which Cabañas publicity names 40. As a non-expert on Mexican art, I was most familiar with Raúl Anguiano (who has a local museum named after him), Dr. Atl, Alejandro Colunga and Tomás Coffeen, but there was work by many others that delighted or intrigued me.
The styles are wide-ranging and represent many currents of art — some with ties to Europe, such as landscape, still life and abstraction, and others, such as fantastic realism, with deep Latin American roots. It also includes work that, according to the show’s signage (in both Spanish and English), is not intended to delight or to provoke serene joy but to help us see the world differently.
The show is a perfect opportunity for expats who want to get a better feel for their adopted home and, although street construction makes some downtown streets impassable, the Cabañas is very accessible by numerous bus and trolley lines, the Macrobus and Tren Ligero (using the San Juan de Dios station, which puts you near another city attraction), not to mention the ever convenient yellow and Uber taxis.
Related attractions: “David LaChapelle — Lost and Found” runs until July 30, along with several smaller shows. The Orozco murals in the chapel are always available for viewing, with guided tours in English. All interior Cabañas salons are air-conditioned, there are coffee and gift shops, and the bathrooms are pristine.
“Exposición Colección Pueblo de Jalisco — Acervos Cabañas” shows until December 31 at Instituto Cultural Cabañas, Cabañas #8, in the historic center of Guadalajara, about six blocks east of the cathedral. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays are free. 70 pesos general admission; 45 pesos with Mexican ID; 20 pesos for teachers, seniors (with ID) and children 12 and under. Tel. (33)3668 1645 & 3818 2800, ext. 31642 & 31014. www.hospiciocabanas.jalisco.gob.mx.