Books about Latin American Art

Here're three books about Latin American art that you might want to add to your book collection. If you would like to have the book sent to you, click on the order from Amazon.com link under each book.

The Language of Objects in the Art of the Americas
By Edward J. Sullivan

In this wide-ranging book, a distinguished scholar of Latin American art explores the meanings of created and depicted objects from the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking regions of the New World. Edward J. Sullivan begins with objects exchanged during encounters between indigenous peoples of the Americas and newly-arrived Europeans, and he pursues the discussion to the present day, as artists engage in breaking down constructed concepts of “Latin American-ness.” Sullivan’s scope is sweeping—the changing meanings of objects over five centuries—and he encourages deeper conversation about the complexities of today’s culture of the Americas.

This generously illustrated volume invites the reader to travel across time and national boundaries to examine an array of these extraordinary and meaningful objects.

Click to order "Language of Objects " from Amazon.

Art Cuba: The New Generation
By Holly Block

The art scene in Cuba is thriving as never before. Young, politically active artists are stretching the limits of creative freedom and, as tourism to Cuba continues to increase, making their mark in the international art world. Coming at a time when Americans' interest in the country and its art is at a peak, this is the first major survey to show the wide range of art coming out of Cuba today.

Overflowing with illustrations—including 100 colorplates—Art Cuba presents exciting new works, most produced in the past five years, by more than 60 artists. The mediums extend from oil on canvas, pen and ink, watercolor, lithography, and mosaic to photography, sculpture, embroidery, and performance art.

Click to order "Art Cuba" from Amazon.

Latin American & Caribbean Art: Moma At El Museo
By Miriam Basilio, Deborah Cullen, Luis Perez-Oramas, Gary Garrels, Fatima Bercht, Harper Montgomery, Rocio Aranda-Alvarado, James Wechsler

MoMA at El Museo: Latin American and Caribbean Art from the Collection of The Museum of Modern Art is, as the title suggests, an exhibition highlighting artworks selected from this major collection. But it is so much more: A collaborative effort between the two New York museums, this exhibition and accompanying catalogue present over 100 paintings, drawings, sculptures, prints, and illustrated books produced by artists from Latin America and the Caribbean, selected from MoMA. Notably, it is this very collection that has created the paradigm of "Latin American Art" and has helped shape the ever-burgeoning art historical and cultural studies in this area, both in the United States and abroad.

Short essays follow on key works added in each phase of the collection's growth, examples of which include work by Diego Rivera, Jos Clemente Orozco, Antonio Berni, and David Alfaro Siqueiros in the 1930s; Joaquin Torres-Garcia, Matta, Roberto Berdecio, and Wifredo Lam in the 1940s; Rafael Montanez Ortiz, Jesus Raphael Soto, Marisol, and Fernando Botero in the 1960s; and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Los Carpinteros, and Vik Muniz today.

Click to order "Latin American & Caribbean Art" from Amazon.