Day of the Dead

ca. 1953
Not on view
The Day of the Dead is traditionally celebrated in Mexico each year in early November to pay respects to and remember friends and family members who have died. Celebrations can have a humorous tone as those involved recount events and anecdotes about the departed. In Mexiac’s print, the commemoration is somber. Set at night, the scene depicts figures wrapped in garments, sitting on the ground in front of candles; in the background, other figures kneel before what might be portraits of the departed.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Day of the Dead
  • Artist: Adolfo Mexiac (Mexican, Cuto de la Esperanza, Michoacán 1927–2019 Cuernavaca)
  • Publisher: Taller de Gráfica Popular, Mexico City
  • Date: ca. 1953
  • Medium: Linocut
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 17 1/2 × 11 7/16 in. (44.5 × 29 cm)
    Image: 10 13/16 × 8 11/16 in. (27.5 × 22 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gift of Richard and JoAnn Edinburg Pinkowitz, 2024
  • Object Number: 2024.69.42
  • Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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