Francisco Artigas and Fernando Luna, House at 131 Rocas, Jardines del Pedregal, Mexico City, 1966, photograph by Fernando and Roberto Luna, 1966, courtesy of Fernando Luna, © Roberto and Fernando Luna


On Monday, November 6, from 6:30–8 pm, Wendy Kaplan, proclaimed by Art and Antiques as one of the nine leaders of the decorative arts and design field, will give a talk focusing on the groundbreaking exhibition that she co-curated, Found in Translation: Design in California and Mexico, 1915–1985, on view at LACMA through April 1, 2018.

Throughout the twentieth century there was constant migration between California and Mexico. This resulted in intensive design dialogues featuring prominent figures such as Luis Barragán, Charles and Ray Eames, and Richard Neutra, as well as less familiar practitioners from different disciplines. Yet, despite this rich creative exchange, the implications of this cultural phenomenon have been under recognized in design history. Kaplan’s talk will consider the main exhibition themes and illuminate the design movements that defined both locales. A reception will follow the talk.

Wendy Kaplan
has been at LACMA since 2001. A leading expert on late nineteenth- and twentieth-century design, she has curated numerous exhibitions and authored, co-authored, and edited many books on design. In 2012, California Design received the award for the Best Architecture or Design Show from the International Association of Art Critics—United States Section.