You’re not alone if you’ve never heard of David Alfaro Siqueiros‘ “America Tropical: Oprimida y Destrozada por los Imperialismos“ mural on Olvera Street in Los Angeles. The mural, painted in 1932, was covered in white paint after Olvera street officials denounced the politically volatile artwork as bad form.
In September, a conservation effort was led to bring the piece back to its original form. NPR published a new digital restoration of the piece on their site and it is brilliant. What awaits us is a vibrant piece of political art from one of Mexico’s giants. La Plaza has a great article about the history of the piece, along with more photos of the mural from the mid-1900’s. Below, the digital reproduction and what we may be seeing strutting down Olvera St. in the near future.
An exhibition featuring the artist’s work in Los Angeles is currently showing at The Autry Museum in Griffith Park until January 9th!