Josef Albers in Mexico Hardcover

Albers in “the promised land of abstract art”: the little-known influence of Mexico

“Mexico is truly the promised land of abstract art,” Josef Albers wrote to his former Bauhaus colleague Vasily Kandinsky in 1936. Josef Albers in Mexico reveals the profound link between the art and architecture of ancient Mesoamerica and Albers’ abstract works on canvas and paper. With his wife, the artist Anni Albers, Albers toured pre-Columbian archeological sites and monuments during his 12 or more trips to Mexico and other Latin American countries between 1935 and 1968. On each visit, Albers took black-and-white photographs of pyramids, shrines, sanctuaries and landscapes, which he later assembled into rarely seen photo collages. The resulting works demonstrate Albers’ continued formal experimentation with geometry, this time accentuating a pre-Columbian aesthetic.

Josef Albers in Mexico brings together photographs, photo collages, prints and significant paintings from the Variants/Adobe (1946–66) and Homage to the Square (1950–76) series from the collections of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Anni and Josef Albers Foundation. Two scholarly essays, an illustrated map and vivid color reproductions of paintings and works on paper illuminate this little-known period in the influential artist’s practice.

After his first visit in the winter of 1935, Bauhaus artist Josef Albers dubbed Mexico “the promised land of abstract art.” He would return over twelve times in the following thirty years to tour the country’s pre-Columbian monuments, pyramids and shrines, drawing endless influence and taking hundreds of black and white photographs. Inspired by the Guggenheim exhibit of the same name, Josef Albers in Mexico explores the influence that this ancient Mesoamerican architecture had on Albers’ own work, displaying his photo collages of these historic sites alongside vivid color reproductions of his simple, geometric paintings and works on paper. Two scholarly essays further shed light on the link between these seemingly contrasting styles, while an illustrated map of Mexico highlights his most-frequented destinations. A fascinating look at this little-known period in the influential artist’s practice, this book is a must-have for any creative.

•9.5″W x .75″D x 13″H
•by Lauren Hinkson
•foreword by Richard Armstrong
•various photographers
•hardcover
•160 pages