Object Details
Artist
Frank Romero, born East Los Angeles, CA 1941
Gallery Label
In this painting, Frank Romero interprets the death and legacy of Rubén Salazar, a civil rights activist and writer for the Los Angeles Times in the 1960s. In the aftermath of a major Chicano protest in East LA in 1970 against the Vietnam War, police fired tear-gas canisters into the Silver Dollar Bar and Café, where Salazar and two others were struck and killed.
Romero combined the large scale of Mexican Revolution murals with the bold colors of the barrio (the Spanish-speaking neighborhood). He depicts authoritarian force muscling in on lowrider culture, using symbols and hues that embody its vibrance and resilience.
To the left of the café, the Casa de Cambio, a money exchange, also suggests the idea of change in the community. To the right, a movie theater marquee announces a film based on Salazar's death, envisioning a world in which the event is enshrined in history.
Luce Object Quote
“In my studio I have to deal with my own devils, and I wrestle with my own concerns and dreams and fears.” Frank Romero, Oral History interview, 1997, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible in part by the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Copyright
© 1986, Frank Romero
Date
1986
Object number
1993.19
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Painting
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
72 1/4 x 120 3/8 in. (183.5 x 305.8 cm.)
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Painting and Sculpture
Data Source
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Topic
Cityscape
Architecture\vehicle\automobile
Occupation\service\policeman
State of being\death\murder
Architecture Exterior\commercial\tavern
Architecture Exterior\civic\theater
Link to Original Record
Record ID
saam_1993.19