Mandalas

Copied Ruben Trejo, Mandalas, 1986-1990, welded iron railroad spikes, marble, iron sheet, lead, and wood, approx. overall: 122 3⁄4 x 60 x 41 1⁄8 in. (311.8 x 152.4 x 104.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the estate of Ruben Trejo, 2013.37A-F, © 1990, Estate of Ruben Trejo. Photo by Matt Vielle, Hamilton Studio

Artwork Details

Title
Mandalas
Artist
Date
1986-1990
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
approx. overall: 122 3⁄4 x 60 x 41 1⁄8 in. (311.8 x 152.4 x 104.5 cm)
Copyright
© 1990, Estate of Ruben Trejo. Photo by Matt Vielle, Hamilton Studio
Credit Line
Gift of the estate of Ruben Trejo
Mediums
Mediums Description
welded iron railroad spikes, marble, iron sheet, lead, and wood
Classifications
Object Number
2013.37A-F
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2013.37A-F

Artwork Description

In Mandalas, Trejo used railroad spikes, a material laden with meaning for the artist, whose father laid train tracks in the Midwest. Slightly bent and weathered to a rusty brown, each column of welded spikes evokes bodies caught in the midst of labor.

Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art, 2013
Description in English

En Mandalas, Trejo usó clavos de ferrocarril, un material lleno de significado para el artista, cuyo padre instalaba rieles de tren en el Medio Oeste. Ligeramente doblados y oxidados, cada columna de clavos soldados evoca cuerpos en pleno trabajo.

Nuestra América: la presencia latina en el arte estadounidense, 2013

Related Books

OurAmerica_500.jpg
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art explores how Latino artists shaped the artistic movements of their day and recalibrated key themes in American art and culture. This beautifully illustrated volume presents the rich and varied contributions of Latino artists in the United States since the mid-twentieth century, when the concept of a collective Latino identity began to emerge. Our America includes works by artists who participated in all the various artistic styles and movements, including abstract expressionism; activist, conceptual, and performance art; and classic American genres such as landscape, portraiture, and scenes of everyday life. 

Exhibitions

Media - 2011.12 - SAAM-2011.12_1 - 77591
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art
October 25, 2013–March 2, 2014
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art presents the rich and varied contributions of Latino artists in the United States since the mid-twentieth century, when the concept of a collective Latino identity began to emerge.