Date
Tuesday, September 2, 2025
Time
2:00 pm
Event Details
Presented in collaboration with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Drake University, the Des Moines Art Center is offering a virtual art history class, led by former Art Center curator, Mia Laufer, Ph. D. Laufer holds a BA in Art History from New York University and an MA and Ph.D. in Art History from Washington University in St. Louis. Laufer was formerly a curator at the Des Moines Art Center and is currently the Irene Leache Curator of European Art at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia.
The class subject, “Mexican Art, 1900 – Today,” is in celebration of the Art Center’s upcoming exhibition, “Manuel Álvarez Bravo: Collaborations,” on view October 25, 2025 – January 18, 2026. Bravo (1902-2002) was a Mexican artistic photographer and one of the most important figures in 20th century Latin American photography. The Art Center’s exhibition is a survey of the photographer’s long career viewed through the lens of the projects he created with others, having collaborated with Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, André Brenton, Luis Buñuel, Gabriel Figueroa, Octavio Paz and many more. Setting the stage for this extraordinary collection of works to be gathered in Des Moines, curator of the exhibition Dr. Mia Laufer, will present a three-part online class providing a window into the cultural and political revolution that shaped Mexico’s artistic identity from the early 20th century through today.
The three class dates are Tuesday, September 2, 9, and 16 – all beginning at 2 pm (CST).
Free; registration required. One registration link per household. A Zoom link will be provided via email to registrants prior to class dates.
Manuel Álvarez Bravo (Mexican, 1902-2002)
“Lola Álvarez Bravo y estructura metalica (Lola Álvarez Bravo and a Metal Structure),” 1930s
Gelatin silver print
Colección Archivo Manuel Álvarez Bravo