Mexico underwent a radical cultural transformation at the end of its revolution in 1920, giving rise to art that spoke directly to the people about social justice and national life. This model galvanized American artists who were seeking to break free of European aesthetic domination to create publicly significant and accessible native art. Numerous American artists traveled to Mexico and the leading Mexican muralists—José Clemente Orozco Diego Rivera, and David Alfaro Siqueiros—spent extended periods of time in the United States, creating murals, paintings, drawings, and prints; exhibiting their work; and interacting with local artists.

Sarah Humphreville, Senior Curatorial Assistant at the Whitney Museum of American Art, will examine the impact the Mexican muralists had on their counterparts in the United States during the interwar period and the ways in which they inspired American artists to create epic narratives about history and everyday life and to use their art to protest economic, social and racial injustices.

Humphreville holds degrees in art history and painting from Cornell University and New York University.