Pre-Columbian Art of Mexico

This exhibition, the first of its kind to be presented in a major museum in Australia, presents a wide range of materials and motifs typical of the aesthetics of the ancient artists of Mexico. The selection has been limited to this one area simply in order to allow an emphasis upon one of the richest areas of the Western Hemisphere, as well as to allow the viewer some understanding of the variety of expression of these people, and also to avoid some of the confusion which inevitably arises out of a survey of the entire complexity of ancient art of the Americas. There is no pretense that this will allow a thorough exploration of the subject or the region, nor will it permit the visitor to have more than a basic introduction to some of the cultures represented. For there is much to be seen which is not possible to display – architecture, for example, cannot be presented within the confines of a single structure. Rather, this is a selection of examples which show not only the magnificence of that artistry at its best, but also demonstrate the works made and owned by the man in the street’ in prehistoric Mexico.

Source: Extract from the introduction to Pre-Columbian Art of Mexico, exhibition brochure, 1979.