Carnegie Welcomes Valadez Acquisition

The Carnegie Art Museum hosted a reception Sunday for the opening of the exhibit “John Valadez: La Frontera/The Border,” a major acquisition for the museum’s permanent collection.

Valadez’s work was celebrated along with loaned works from the collection of actor Cheech Marin and art by Frank Romero, Robert Gil de Montes, Linda Vallejo and Mario Calvano.

“The acquisition of John Valadez’s artwork continues the museum’s commitment to building the Latino art portion of its permanent California art collection, which began two years ago with the acquisition of art by Frank Romero,” said museum spokeswoman Suzanne Bellah. “This fall, the museum will host a variety of lectures and events around the works by Valadez.”

A classic car exhibit took place outside the museum, along with music by disc jockeys Stella and Perry Lopez.

In January, the Carnegie was named as one of 29 museums worldwide to receive gifts of contemporary artwork from the well-known Norton collection. The collection donated nearly 1,000 works, valued at more than $2 million, to institutions including the Carnegie, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, New York’s Museum of Modern Art and London’s Tate Gallery.

After its Carnegie debut, Valadez’s works will join a traveling exhibition, “Road to Aztlan: Art from a Mythic Homeland,” organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Valadez’s murals are on display at the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and the U.S. Courthouse in Santa Ana. His works are displayed in numerous museums, including the National Gallery of American Art, Centre D’Art Santa Monica in Barcelona and the Brooklyn Museum of Art.

The museum is at 424 S. C St.