Mexico

Francisco Toledo, renowned Mexican artist and activist, has died, aged 79

Known for powerful imagery rooted in his native Oaxaca, he was also a cultural benefactor

Anti-Trump seesaw by architect duo unites children on US-Mexico border

“Actions that take place on one side have a direct consequence on the other side,” say project founders

New Museumarchive

New cultural centre opens at Tlatelolco Square, Mexico City

And third Mexican collector loans his art to university

Crime news

Murdered muralist Héctor Domínguez honoured in Mexico

Suspicion aired that the 27-year-old artist may have been killed, along with his father and brother, because of his environmental activism

Votive paintings smuggled out of Mexico return to public view at Los Pinos presidential palace

The former government residence turned museum will host its first art exhibition

Mexiconews

Art that breathes: Mexican murals aim to clean the air

The public art works are painted using Airlite which purifies polluted air in a process similar to photosynthesis

Ai Weiwei creates Lego portraits of missing Mexican students

The installation investigating their disappearance is part of the artist’s show at MUAC

Sunday in Chapultepec Park with Carsten Höller

The artist’s interactive exhibition at Mexico City’s Museo Tamayo encourages visitors to explore, take drugs and dream, but is it more than just another “art experience”?

Economic policies introduced by Mexico’s new president have yet to dent dealers' sales at Zona Maco

Works at mid-tier price points are moving quickly at the 16th edition of the Mexico City fair, according to exhibitors

Have Brooklyn and Boston bagged Frida Kahlo blockbusters?

Shows at the Brooklyn Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston explore the Mexican artist’s love of fashion and “arte popular”

Mexiconews

What happened to all the art in Mexico’s presidential palace?

A largely emptied Los Pinos opened to the public on 1 December, leaving many in the country wondering where the collection of paintings and decorative objects went

Whitney staff members assail vice chairman’s business tie to tear gas attacks at US border

In a letter, they express “outrage” over a connection to a military and law enforcement supplier

Mexican exhibitions of southern African art bring death to life

Shows in Oaxaca de Juárez forge cross-cultural connections

Mexiconews

Mexico’s presidential palace could become one of the world’s largest museums

But some experts question whether another art space is necessary

New York cemetery opens its doors to art to honour dead migrants and victims of Hurricane Maria

Artist creates an altar incorporating objects from Puerto Rico and invites visitors to add their own

Gael García Bernal’s new film Museo turns Mexico’s biggest art heist into a madcap caper

The Spanish-launguage movie follows two middle-class flunkies who somehow pulled off one the largest antiquities thefts in modern-day history

David D'Arcy. in Toronto

Zona Maco sister fairs return one year on from Mexico earthquake

Events dedicated to photographs, antiques, crafts and curiosities offer niche disciplines for collectors

Deported veterans ‘distress’ flag mural on US-Mexico border under review

US Customs and Border Protection is considering whether to remove or preserve the painting, which some have complained is disrespectful

Mexico City street artists celebrate the lives of women

A project has enlivened a drab area with 300 portraits

World Monuments Fund gives $1m for post-quake restoration of Mexican archaeological site

Monte Albán, the ancient capital of the Zapotec people, was damaged by earthquakes in 2017

New hope for lost Frida Kahlo painting

Expert says new evidence could reveal the location of Mexican artist’s biggest work, which “disappeared into thin air”

Cross-border collaboration brings Mexican miracles to the Met

Works in new show range from altarpieces to holy effigies believed to perform miracles

Jumex Museum show looks at the fall of the Utopian ideal in Latin America

Mexico City museum is becoming a private institution that actually serves the public interest

Face to face with a Mesoamerican metropolis—in Los Angeles

Largest city of the ancient Americas brought back to life in show of Mexican treasures at Lacma

Fury over artist’s plan to preserve prototypes of Trump’s border wall

Others, including the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, support Christoph Büchel’s proposal to turn the eight designs into national monuments

Politicscomment

Büchel’s feeble satire ignores the hateful reality of Trump’s wall

The petition to make the proposed border wall a National Landmark is one of the worst excesses of contemporary art and needs to be called out

Mexico City’s Material fair draws praise—and exhibitors from Zona Maco

As the main fair has become more blue-chip, the younger event has focused on fresh talent and a connection to the local scene