Top Mexican Muralists

Mexican muralism describes the large-scale painting of murals in the 1920s and 30s in Mexico. Here are some of the most famous artists of the movement.

The so-called Big Three of Mexican Muralism are Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros. Rivera was a famous artist in his own right, but perhaps best known to tourists as the husband of Frida Kahlo. A great introduction to his work can be had at his old house in Guanajuato, turned into a museum and gallery in his honor.

Orozco was known for his depictions of fear and suffering, with murals far staider than the glorious Revolutionary works of Rivera. You can see his work in his home city of Guadalajara, where Orozco’s murals adorn the walls of public buildings such as the Instituto Cultural Cabañas and the Palacio de Gobierno. Visitors can also see his old house and workshop, now known as El Museo Taller José Clemente Orozco.

Siqueiros was known as the most radically communist of the Big Three, which had a negative impact on his popularity in Mexico and in the United States. See his work at the Poliforum Siqueiros and the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City.