José Clemente Orozco in the United States

Among the Mexican muralists working in this country during the 1920s and 1930s, including the giants Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros, the paintings of José Clemente Orozco are arguably the strongest and most politically charged. This important and profusely illustrated volume is proof. From his first commission, Prometheus, at Pamona College and his highly political work at the New School for Social Research in New York to what some feel is his masterpiece, The Epic of American Civilization, at Dartmouth College, Orozco's stinging characterizations of hypocrisy, greed, and oppression challenged conventional conservative views, to such an extent that in certain instances demands were made for the destruction of his works.

All of Orozco's North American work is presented here, with discussions on his life and influences as well as his place among the other Mexican artists and his impact on the exuberant art of the 1960s and 1970s.