A graphic tradition

Mexican printmaking

Mexican printmaking is almost five centuries old. In the colonial era, religious images, book title pages, coats of arms and prints of saints and virgins were engraved in wood and copper and circulated among the faithful.

In the 19th century lithography allowed a freer graphic language: portraits, landscapes, scenes of daily life and fierce political caricature. At the same time, in the popular presses, engravers such as Manuel Manilla and José Guadalupe Posada created an image of their own, direct and full of humor.

In the 20th century, artists such as Leopoldo Méndez, Alfredo Zalce and the Taller de Gráfica Popular took up this legacy to create a social and political printmaking that influenced the whole world.

The MUNAG holds pieces from each of these stages.