A Study in Contrasts at Art Museum

The marimba music barely drowned out the screams, whistles and chants from more than 1,000 protesters as the president of Mexico, Carlos Salinas de Gortari, was honored at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Monday night.

Although about 50 demonstrators were protesting Salinas’ appearance, capping his three-day, four-city California campaign for a North American free-trade agreement, most in the crowd outside the museum were gay activists angry at Gov. Pete Wilson’s recent veto of a major gay rights bill.

The Mexican president attended the event with his wife Cecilia to kick off “Mexico: Splendors of 30 Centuries,” the largest installation in the museum’s history.

Salinas’ appearance along with Wilson’s, dramatically upped the ante of security forces. But the uniformed police officers, sheriff’s deputies and a herd of Secret Service agents didn’t seem to daunt any of the guests, many of whom were unaware of the demonstrations.

It was a textbook study in contradictions: As demonstrators outside the museum shouted their anger at Wilson, in the courtyard Wilson, Salinas and about 360 elegantly dressed guests sipped lobster consomme and listened to speeches.

While police in riot gear strode through the plaza to guard the main entrance, VIPs were having their pictures taken with Salinas. And even as the chocolate dacquoise with fresh raspberries was being served, a police helicopter, search beams on, circled the sky again and again.

Wilson and wife Gayle remained unruffled throughout the evening, with Wilson making no reference to the protesters in his brief speech and toast to President Salinas.

But museum board of trustees president Rob Maguire told the crowd, “I’m very happy to welcome everybody this evening. And the measure of the exuberance of Southern California can be heard outside, with clamoring support of both Gov. Wilson and President Salinas.”

During a cocktail reception guests had a chance to view the exhibit in two galleries. Most were awed by it, including those who had seen it on earlier tours to New York and San Antonio.

“It’s had a stunning impact in all the cities, but I think it will probably have the most profound impact here because the city is so large, and the Latino population is so large,” said museum director Earl A. Powell III. “It’s an exhibition that has something for everyone. It’s got great pre-Columbian art, which many people in this audience will know much of. What probably will be most fascinating to Anglo audiences will be the Mexican colonial era, because that’s not displayed very often. I think they will find that more compelling, all the way into the 20th Century with (Diego) Rivera and Frida Kahlo.”

After dinner, Salinas read a prepared speech in Spanish, translated by an interpreter. He then addressed the audience in English, saying, “I come to this exhibit with great interest. I have been to the (other exhibitions) already, and I always discover something new, something hidden that Mexicans from the past wanted to tell us Mexicans of today and of the future. What is not hidden in this exhibition is the strength of Mexican culture. It is evident everywhere with a tremendous splendor, and it lies at the foundation of our self-confidence.”

Others waxed enthusiastic about the exhibit and talked about its lasting impression on Los Angeles. “I think it’s a fantastic opportunity to see probably the greatest expanse of living human art in America,” said playwright Luis Valdez.

“And I hope that people from all walks of life will come and appreciate it as an extension of their given heritage. These are the roots of America, and they are beautiful.”

“Hollywood has submitted Mexico to an image that is less than flattering,” said actor Ricardo Montalban.

“It was not out of malice, but out of ignorance. . . . But now they are going to see that Mexico has the greatest muralists in the world, the greatest architects. This is going to open the eyes of Americans a little bit and let them know what Mexico is all about.”

Among other guests were U.S. Ambassador to Mexico John Negroponte; Mexican ambassador to the United States Gustavo Petricioli; Los Angeles County supervisors Deane Dana, Mike Antonovich, Ed Edelman and Gloria Molina; Kirk and Anne Douglas; Oliver Stone, Peter Sellars, L. A. Cultural Affairs Department general manager Adolfo Nodal; Consul General of Mexico Jose Angel Pescador; director of cultural affairs for Mexico Alfonso de Maria y Campos; Museum of Contemporary Art director Richard Koshalek; county chief of protocol Sandra Ausman, and Joanne Kozberg, executive director of the California Arts Council.