In a , LAist praised The Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery鈥檚 striking on artist Alfredo Ramos Mart铆nez.
Guest-curated by Scripps alumna Robin Dubin 鈥�12 of the Louis Stern Fine Arts Gallery, Pintor de Poemas: Unseen Works by Alfredo Ramos Mart铆nez features pieces that totally disrupt the artist鈥檚 current artistic legacy. According to Erin Curtis, director of the gallery, while Martinez is often remembered as a muralist of 鈥渟erene, beautiful, decorative鈥� pieces, this exhibit shows he was anything but apolitical.
Arranged by themes of revolution, labor, indigenismo, and war, the show 鈥渇oregrounds struggle, resistance, and the lived experiences of indigenous people,鈥� inviting viewers and students to reconsider the artist鈥檚 legacy and the significance of his beloved fresco in 麻豆区鈥檚 Margaret Fowler Garden, Las Vendedoras de Flores (The Flower Vendors).
Reexamining Mart铆nez鈥檚 oeuvre as an act of rebellion, Dubin noted, allows visitors to reconsider his art historical contributions and the message his murals convey at a school like Scripps. Commissioned in 1946 and left unfinished due to Martinez鈥檚 passing, his final mural features women at work and a Zapotec woman in a Oaxacan headdress.
鈥淪he represents a reclamation of Indigenous humanity,鈥� said Dubin of the work, 鈥渋n a time and place that sought to dehumanize people like her.鈥�
Pintor de Poemas: Unseen Works by Alfredo Ramos Mart铆nez is currently on display at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery until December 14, 2025.