Protesters Storm a Mexico Museum Over a Painting That Depicts Revolutionary Emiliano Zapata Nude (and Wearing a Pink Sombrero)

Protesters stormed Mexico City’s Palace of Fine Arts demanding the removal
of a controversial painting on Tuesday. Painter Fabián Cháirez depicted the
revolutionary hero Emiliano Zapata on horseback, looking decidedly
less macho than usual: naked, save for a pink sombrero and high
heels, and mounting a very, shall we say, excited
horse.

The work, titled La Revolución (2014), is
part of the exhibition “Emiliano. Zapata Después
Zapata” (“Emiliano. Zapata After Zapata”), curated by Luis
Vargas to commemorate the centenary of Zapata’s death.

A leading figure of the nation’s 1910 revolution that overthrew
dictator Porfirio Díaz, Zapata was assassinated at just 39 years
old. His perceived martyrdom has made him one of the most revered
figures in Mexican history, and the Palace of Fine Arts show is one
of numerous events marking 2019 as the year of Zapata, as
designated by Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Cháirez wanted the work, which was featured prominently on
a poster promoting the
exhibition, to stand in contrast to other depictions of the
Mexican farmer-turned-revolutionary, in which “Zapata’s masculinity
is glorified,” he told the BBC.

The work is a problem for Zapata’s grandson, Jorge Zapata
Gonzalez, who has threatened to sue both the museum and the artist
over the painting, reports the Associated Press.

“We are not going to allow this,” he told the Guardian. “For
us as relatives, this denigrates the figure of our
general—depicting him as gay.”

Zapata Gonzalez’s disapproval was echoed by the 200 protesters
who gathered outside the museum demanding the work’s removal—or
destruction—sometimes accompanied by homophobic slurs. A group of
counter-protesters also appeared, voicing their support for sexual
diversity. It ultimately led to a physical confrontation between
the two sides, with local news outlet El Universal reporting
that one of its reporters were among those who were attacked.

The museum is standing by its decision to exhibit the work and
has promised to keep it on display despite the protesters’ threats
to return on a daily basis. It did not immediately respond to
requests for comment.

“Welcome to the world of political and aesthetic debate and
discrepancy,” read a joint statement from Mexico’s culture ministry
and the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature, as quoted
by the Telegraph. The
painting “raised the level of debate about what constitutes
femininity and masculinity.”

“If
you use the feminine, race, or social class as an insult, you are
part of the problem,” Cháirez added on Twitter. An event held in the artist’s
honor and to support the LGTBQ community has been
organized for December 13, to be held on the esplanade outside of
the museum. 

“Emiliano. Zapata Después
Zapata” is on view at the Palacio de Bellas Arts, Avenue
Hidalgo No. 1 Col. Centro, Alcadía, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City,
Mexico, November 27, 2019–February 16, 2020.

The post Protesters Storm a Mexico Museum Over a Painting
That Depicts Revolutionary Emiliano Zapata Nude (and Wearing a Pink
Sombrero) appeared first on artnet News.