Members: FREE
Adults: $8Seniors over 55: $7
Students with ID: $5
Children 12 & under: FREE
Purchase Tickets
More than 100 paintings, sculptures, photographs and drawings by artists such as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera showcase the rich artistic traditions of the Mexico of yesterday and celebrate the vitality of Mexican art today. Never before seen in this region, art from the Gelman collection includes a variety of subject matter and styles that range from the figurative to the surreal, the abstract and the conceptual. Share in the passion that inspired this exceptional private collection of Mexican art.
This exhibition has been organized by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art with the Vergel Foundation, through support of the Donald J. Hall Initiative.
Generous funding has been received from The Keith and Margie Weber Foundation, Belger Cartage Service, Inc., the Campbell-Calvin Fund and Elizabeth C. Bonner Charitable Trust for exhibitions, and our donors to the Annual Fund.
With special thanks to
Frida Kahlo (Mexican, 1907–1954). Autorretrato con monos (Self-Portrait with Monkeys), 1943. Oil on canvas, 32 x 24 7/8 inches. The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art. The Vergel Foundation. Conaculta/INBA. © 2013 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Frida Kahlo (Mexican, 1907–1954). Diego en mi pensamiento (Diego on My Mind), 1943. Oil on Masonite, 29 7/8 x 24 inches. The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art. The Vergel Foundation. Conaculta/INBA. © 2013 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Diego Rivera (Mexican, 1886–1957). Vendedora de alcatraces (Calla Lily Vendor), 1943. Oil on canvas, 59 x 47 1/4 inches. The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art. The Vergel Foundation. Conaculta/INBA. © 2013 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Diego Rivera (Mexican, 1886–1957). Retrato de la Señora Natasha Gelman (Portrait of Mrs. Natasha Gelman), 1943. Oil on canvas, 45 1/4 x 60 1/4 inches. The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art. The Vergel Foundation. Conaculta/INBA. © 2013 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Ángel Zárraga (Mexican, 1886–1946). Retrato del Señor Jacques Gelman (Portrait of Mr. Jacques Gelman), 1945. Oil on canvas, 51 3/8 x 43 1/2 inches. The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art. The Vergel Foundation.
Carlos Mérida (Guatemalan, 1891–1984). El mensaje (The Message), 1960. Painted board, 28 x 34 5/8 inches. The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art. The Vergel Foundation. © 2013 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SOMAAP, Mexico City.
Cisco Jiménez (Mexican, b. 1960). Códice Chafamex (Chafamex Codex) (detail), 1989-97. Oil, acrylic, and collage on craft paper, 97 1/4 x 96 inches. The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art. The Vergel Foundation. © Cisco Jiménez.
Betsabeé Romero (Mexican, b. 1963). Llantas para pavimento con memoria (Tires for Pavement with Memory), 2000. Carving on taxicab tires, 32 1/2 x 7 x 32 1/2 inches, each. The Vergel Foundation. © Betsabeé Romero.
Gerardo Suter (Argentinean, b. 1957). Serie: Códices. Tlapoyahua (Mano) (Codex Series: Tlapoyahua (Hand)), 1991. Gelatin silver print, 62 1/4 x 49 1/4 inches. The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art. The Vergel Foundation. © Gerardo Suter.
All Photographs Courtesy of The Vergel Foundation. Gelman Archives.
Eastern European immigrants Jacques and Natasha Gelman became Mexican citizens in 1942. As they fell in love with their adopted homeland, they established friendships with generations of Mexican artists. In recent years the Vergel Foundation has acquired art in the Gelmans' name to ensure that their passion for Mexican art continues to live and grow.
Seniors over 55: $7
Students with ID: $5
Children 12 & under: FREE
Purchase Tickets
Click here for a bibliography of titles about the Gelmans' collection as well as books and on-line resources about several of the Mexican artists represented in their collection. Visit the Spencer Art Research Library to explore even more.
The Nelson-Atkins is privileged to collaborate on this exhibition with students from 3rd and 5th grade classes at Shawanoe Elementary in Kansas and juniors and seniors from University Academy in Missouri. Labels they wrote for the exhibition share stories inspired by art in the Gelman collection.
Member Preview Days
Thursday, May 30 | 10 a.m.–5 p.m.Friday, May 31 | 10 a.m.–9 p.m.
Galleries L13–14
Members see it first! Experience this spectacular exhibition before anyone else in Kansas City. Open to all members.
Society of Fellows & Business Council Reception
Thursday, May 30 | 6–8:30 p.m.Atkins Auditorium, Noguchi Court & Terrace,
Galleries L13–14
Tickets
Bask in the warmth of Cuernavaca, Mexico and kick off the summer in celebration of Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and the Masterpieces of Modern Mexico. Join Director Julián Zugazagoitia and curator Stephanie Knappe for a special presentation, followed by special music and festivities surrounding the vibrant featured exhibition.
Friends of Art Receptions
Friday, May 31 | 6–7 p.m.Enhanced Art Experience
(Contributor, Associate, and Sponsor level members)
East Sculpture Terrace
SOLD OUT
Friday, May 31 | 7–9 p.m.
Friends of Art Celebration
(All member levels invited)
Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park, Galleries L13–14,
North Nichols Plaza
SOLD OUT
Celebrate the opening of Masterpieces of Modern Mexico with live music and dancing in the Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park. Tour the colorful exhibition and enjoy a special presentation by Gregorio Luke, expert on Mexican and Latin American arts and culture, projected on the outside of the Nelson-Atkins building. Cash bar and special seating for members.
Exhibition Preview & Celebration:
Gregorio Luke's Murals Under the StarsFriday, May 31 | 9–10 p.m.
North Nichols Plaza
Seating begins at 8:30 p.m.
FREE
Tickets
Reserve your seat or simply arrive with a folding chair or blanket for this very special presentation under the stars. Renowned Mexican art specialist Gregorio Luke delivers an awe-inspiring talk while projecting artist Diego Rivera's famous murals against the museum. Discover the Mexican Modernists and get a sneak peak at the new exhibition opening June 1.
Member Morning
Saturday, June 1 | 9–11 a.m.Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park, Galleries L13–14
Members only
Tickets
Members come to the museum before it opens! Interact with docents in the featured exhibition galleries and partake in fun family activities with light breakfast in the Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park.
Film Series
June 1–Aug. 3 | Saturday afternoonsAll programs begin at 1 p.m.
Celebrate the art of Mexican cinema with two film series this summer! All screenings begin with a short presentation by local film experts and Latin American studies scholars.
Jacques Gelman, Mario Moreno (Cantinflas) and the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema | Tickets
| June 1: Ahì está el detalle (US title: You're Missing the Point), 1940 (Spanish, with English subtitles) |
| June 8: Los tres mosqueteros (The Three Musketeers), 1942 (Spanish, with English subtitles) |
| June 22: Around the World in 80 Days, 1956 (English) |
| June 29: Pepe, 1960 (English) |
| Contemporary Mexican Film: A New Golden Age Tickets |
| July 13: Rudo y Cursi, 2008 (Spanish, with English subtitles) |
| July 20: Lucía, Lucía, 2003 (Spanish, with English subtitles) |
| July 27: Biutiful, 2010 (Spanish, with English subtitles) |
| August 3: El Violin, 2006 (Spanish, with English subtitles) |
Fiesta! Annual Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park Celebration
Friday, July 19 | 5–9 p.m.FREE
Join the fiesta and celebrate the arts of Mexico! Experience the Noguchi courtyard transformed into a Mexican zócalo, or city center, join us on the dance floor, create your own sombrero and sample tasty Mexican treats. Follow the lights in the trees and look for bright, colorful flowers as you learn more about selected sculptures with teen and museum guides.
Special Presentation
The Gelman Collection In DepthThursday, August 1 | 6–7 p.m.
Atkins Auditorium
Tickets
Go further in depth with the Gelman collection as esteemed scholar Edward Sullivan offers unique perspectives on the Mexican artists the Gelmans befriend and the masterpieces they collected.
