Special Events

Opening Reception: Día de Muertos, Where the Past is Present

September 20, 2024, 6:00 – 8:30 pm National Museum of Mexican Art
Eduardo Oropeza (b. California, 1927 - d. 2003), Échale (Hit It), 1989, serigraph /serigrafía, 34/72, National Museum of Mexican Art Permanent Collection, Published at Self Help Graphics & Art, photo credit: Kathleen Culbert-Aguilar

The National Museum of Mexican Art is delighted to announce Día de Muertos, Where the Past is Present, dedicated to Ray Patlán (1946-2024), a Chicago muralist and painter who died this April. The exhibition opens on Friday, September 20th in the Main Gallery with a reception from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm.

The 38th annual exhibition commemorates the celebration of our departed loved ones through beautiful ofrendas. Nearly seventy works from the Museum's Permanent Collection, mostly arte popular, are part of this exhibition, which reveals the importance of collective feeling through the creative hands of different generations of popular artists. Art reflects society, and with this celebration, all those who have died from violence are remembered in this exhibition.