Best Art Books of 2023

A survey of the paintings of Abraham Ángel that situates the celebrated artist’s work within the broader arc of Mexican art in the 1920s
 
One of the leading artists of his generation in Mexico, Abraham Ángel (1905–1924) produced just twenty-four paintings before his sudden death at the age of 19. Praised by Mexico’s greatest cultural luminaries for his work’s vivacity, individuality, and uninhibited emotion, Ángel’s paintings are immersed in the rich bohemian world of Mexico City in the 1920s and explore themes of national identity, urban life, and modernity. While much of the scholarship surrounding the artist has focused on the circumstances of his untimely death, essays by Mark A. Castro and Mireida Velázquez shift the spotlight to Ángel’s innovative and enduring work and how it reflects the broader political, social, and cultural currents that were transforming Mexico in the wake of the country’s violent revolution. This beautifully illustrated volume reassesses the artist’s legacy and draws readers into the world of one of the most unique painters in the history of Mexican art.