Object Details
Artist
Amalia Mesa-Bains, born Santa Clara, CA 1943
Sitter
Dolores del Rio
Exhibition Label
An Ofrenda for Dolores del Rio draws viewers in with its sumptuous pink fabric, rows of black-and-white pictures, and an arrangement of fanciful objects set in a niche. Mesa-Bains created this work to honor Dolores del Rio, the Mexican actress who dazzled audiences in the United States and Mexico from the 1920s until her death in 1983. The artist retooled the vernacular and domestic practice of the ofrenda (an offering to the deceased) to memorialize a cultural icon whom she and other Chicanas admired. Mesa-Bains implied this relationship through her ample use of mirrors, which reflect and incorporate the viewer into her installation.
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art, 2013
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program
Copyright
© 1991, Amalia Mesa-Bains
Date
1984, revised 1991
Object number
1998.161
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Sculpture
Medium
mixed media installation including plywood, mirrors, fabric, framed photographs, found objects, dried flowers and glitter
Dimensions
96 x 72 x 48 in. (243.8 x 182.9 x 121.9 cm)
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Painting and Sculpture
Data Source
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Topic
Architecture\religious\altar
Portrait female
Link to Original Record
Record ID
saam_1998.161