‘Mexico: Splendors’ Exhibit Triggers Related Shows

“Mexico: Splendors of Thirty Centuries” has prompted several new spaces around town. Among them are Washington’s Kimberly Gallery, which opens a local space on Thursday with “Mexico: Four Decades After the Muralists,” a series of exhibitions (through February) featuring 30 Mexican artists from the 1950s through today, including Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Miguel Castro Lenero, Olga Costa, and Francisco Toledo. The gallery, which specializes in contemporary Latin American art, will be at 8000 Melrose Ave., the space formerly occupied by Jan Turner Gallery.

San Antonio’s Jansen-Perez Gallery is also opening an L.A. branch Thursday. The first show, “Mexican Masters,” features works by Los Tres Grandes --Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros and Jose Clemente Orozco--as well as Carlos Merida, Rufino Tamayo and Francisco Toledo. The gallery, working in cooperation with Mexico City’s Galeria Arvil and Galeria Grupo Arte Contemporaneo, will be near the L.A. County Museum at 5750 Wilshire Blvd.

The Remba Gallery opened last Saturday at 918 Colorado Ave. in Santa Monica with a historical survey of prints entitled, “Grafica Mexicana del Siglo XX/Mexican Graphics of the 20th Century,” featuring works from print workshops of Antonio Venegas Arroyo, El Taller de Grafica Popular, and Luis and Lea Remba’s own Taller de Grafica Mexicana and Mixografia Workshop.

“SPLENDORS” EVENTS: Next Sunday’s “Family Festival of Mexican Arts” at Hancock Park will be highlighted by a painting performance by the East Los Streetscapers muralists group. Also featured will be music, dance and theater performances, art-making demonstrations, poetry reading and storytelling. The free event is co-sponsored by LACMA and the Craft and Folk Art Museum. Information: (213) 857-6139 or 937-5544.

LACMA begins its series of documentary films on Mexican art with the Oct. 12, 3 p.m. screening of “Mayan Lords of the Jungle,” “Excavations at la Venta” and “Popul Vuh: The Creation Myth of the Maya.” Future screenings will be held through December. Information: (213) 857-6139.

Fringe Festival/L.A. will present “24 Hours of Art” Oct. 12 and 13, seven bus tours focusing on visual and performance arts from the Native American, Latino and African American communities in response to next year’s 500th anniversary of Columbus’ voyage. Each thematically-arranged tour will make about five stops at sites such as Beyond Baroque, Plaza de la Raza, Self-Help Graphics and Watts Towers. Artists including Armando Molina of Latins Anonymous, comedienne Beth Lapides and performance artist Alan Pulner will host each tour. Tickets range from $15-$50. Reservations: (213) 466-1767.

An Oct. 8 lecture on “Mexican Muralists in California” and an Oct. 19 tour of LACMA’s “Splendors” exhibition are included in “Southern California’s Mural Renaissance of the ‘30s and ‘40s,” an eight-session UCLA Extension course beginning Tuesday. Course fees are $245, or $55 for the Mexican muralist and LACMA segments only. Information: (213) 206-1423.