December 19, 2017, Filed Under: Exhibitions + Events, Featured1Ancient inspiration for a modern accessory The plumed serpent in Mexico Modern Mexican Folkways, edited by Frances Toor, volume 4, no. 3, 1928. Cover design by Diego Rivera. © 2017 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York The Ransom Center’s current exhibition Mexico Modern: Art, Commerce, and Cultural Exchange, 1920–1945 showcases Mexican art immediately following the Mexican Revolution to when it entered the American mainstream. Monte Monreal, Visitor Services Manager, was inspired by the plumed serpent and its connection to Mexico Modern when exploring merchandise for the exhibition, specifically creating a custom enamel pin. The pin, which features an image of a plumed serpent, is replicated from a bas-relief at the temple at Xochicalco. “We thought a glyph would be a good choice because so much of the Mexican moment is about evoking pre-Columbian identity,” says Monreal. The plumed serpent is a figure which appears abundantly throughout Mesoamerica, Quetzalcoatl being the most famous example. There are several connections to the plumed serpent in the exhibition, including Diego Rivera’s illustration for a cover of Mexican Folkways and handwritten drafts of D. H. Lawrence’s novel The Plumed Serpent. With a limited run of 250, the plumed serpent pin is available for purchase in the store for $10. The exhibition Mexico Modern: Art, Commerce, and Cultural Exchange, 1920–1945 closes January 1, 2018.
