"THE STRUGGLE AGAINST WAR AND TERROR"
(known to Mexicans as "La Inquisicion")
This mural, measuring 40 x 40 feet, was executed in 1935 by two young Americans from Southern California - Reuben Kadish and Philip Goldstein, assisted by the poet Jules Langsner. Having assisted Siquieros in the US on his first mural projects, these
young firebrands were recommended by him to execute a mural in what was then the University of San Nicolas de Hidalgo, one of the oldest Universities of the Americas.
Upon completion of the mural, the artists left Mexico, never to return again. Kadish and Goldstein then created a mural for the City of Hope Sanitorium in Duarte, California, a work
recently restored with participation from the Getty Foundation. Kadish moved on to work with the WPA in San Francisco and made his way to New Jersey. Then he took a hiatus from the
art world, re-emerging afterward as a sculptor, and as a Professor of Art at Cooper Union, New York, where he stayed for over 25 years.
Meanwhile, Goldstein headed East to catch up with his art school buddy Jackson Pollock, and changed his name to Philip Guston. He went on to become a major figure in the Abstract
Expressionist Movement. In the last ten years of his life, however, he returned to figurative work, in which many elements of the Morelia mural can be traced.
This mural depicts a timeless historical theme, one which concerns contemporary society directly today. Quite mysteriously, it was actually covered from public view for almost 40
years, and only a roof leak led to it being revealed. Information as to its creators remained largely obscure, until a pilgrimage by Kadish's brother in 2001 provided missing
details.
The Mexican Government provided a special emergency grant to protect the mural
from further degradation.
In the recent Philip Guston Retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of NY, a partial image of the mural was presented, and appears as a full page of the exhibition
catalog, greatly raising interest in this project. The Mexican Government has deemed it worthy of committing funds for its restoration, provided that matching funds are obtained
from outside sources.
To achieve this, the IACI, in collaboration with the Art Alliance of New York, under the direction of New York sculptor Leah Poller, has organized a series of cultural visits to
Morelia, together with an international exhibition program (This year: Museo Regional de Michoacan, Mexico, October - November 2007 and New York in early winter).
Click here to see detailed images of mural
Click here to download Argelia Castillo's essay (English & Spanish) "Notes From The Mural...."
Contact:
Leah Poller, Director,
IACI, The Art Alliance, 98 Greene Street, NY NY 10012,
T: 212 274 1704, E: artallny@aol.com