Told and Untold: The Photo Stories of Kati Horna in the Illustrated Press at Americas Society Art Gallery, September 13 – December 17, 2016

Renowned for her innovative images documenting Mexico City’s urban expansion and vibrant cultural scene, Kati Horna (Budapest, 1912 – Mexico City, 2000) was already a widely published photographer of the Spanish Civil War when she arrived in Mexico at the end of 1939. Her prolific career will be the focus of Told and Untold: The Photo Stories of Kati Horna in the Illustrated Press. This is the first solo show in the United States to examine Horna’s influential collaboration with the illustrated press. Featuring Horna’s photographs displayed alongside the newspapers and magazines that put them in circulation, the exhibition will comprise some never-before-seen materials including contact sheets, montage cuttings, and personal albums.

“This exhibition demonstrates that in order to grasp some of the subtleties and complexities of Horna’s mature work in Mexico it is crucial to consider the depth of her intellectual upbringing, the extent of her political radicalization as a young artist, and the true nature of her involvement with the anarchist fringe of the Spanish Civil War,” says curator Christina De León.

6. Untitled [Shirtless Man and Peasant, Hungary], 1933

Kati Horna, Untitled [Shirtless Man and Peasant, Hungary], 1933; gelatin silver print, 4 ¾ x 6 ¾ in. Private collection, Mexico City. © 2005 Ana María Norah Horna y Fernández. Courtesy Americas Society Art Gallery.

5a. [Militiamen in the outskirts of Banastás Aragon] recto and verso, 1937

Kati Horna, Photo album [Militiamen in the outskirts of Banastás Aragon] recto and verso, 1937, 10 ¾ x 14 ½ in. (page); gelatin silver prints mounted on paper. Private collection, Mexico City. © 2005 Ana María Norah Horna y Fernández. Courtesy Americas Society Art Gallery.

5b. [Militiamen in the outskirts of Banastás Aragon] recto and verso, 1937

Kati Horna, Photo album [Militiamen in the outskirts of Banastás Aragon] recto and verso, 1937, 10 ¾ x 14 ½ in. (page); gelatin silver prints mounted on paper. Private collection, Mexico City. © 2005 Ana María Norah Horna y Fernández. Courtesy Americas Society Art Gallery.

3. Mussolini_Dictador deportivo! [Mussolini_Sporting Dictator!], c. 1938

Kati and José Horna, Mussolini: Dictador deportivo! [Mussolini: Sporting Dictator!], c. 1938; Gelatin silver print, 2.5 x 3 1/8 in. Private collection, Mexico City. © 2005 Ana María Norah Horna y Fernández. Courtesy Americas Society Art Gallery.

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Installation view. Photograph by Corrado Serra for Arts Summary.

2. Bombed! Shelled! Besieged for two years – but Life goes on!, The Weekly Illustrated, 1938

Images by Kati Horna, “Bombed! Shelled! Besieged for two years – but Life goes on!”, The Weekly Illustrated, December 3, 1938 [author unknown]. Private collection, New York. Courtesy Americas Society Art Gallery.

4. “Hospital del pueblo” [The People’s Hospital] published in Umbral 27, 1938

Photographs and layout by Kati Horna, “Hospital del pueblo” [The People’s Hospital] published in Umbral 27, February 21, 1938. 24 x 18 ¾ in. (spread). CRAI Biblioteca Pavelló de la República, Universitat de Barcelona. Courtesy Americas Society Art Gallery.

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Installation view. Photograph by Corrado Serra for Arts Summary.

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Installation view. Photograph by Corrado Serra for Arts Summary.

7. Cuidado! En su Trabajo de Usted Dependen (Poster mock-up), c. 1944

Kati and José Horna, Cuidado! En su Trabajo de Usted Dependen (Poster mock-up), c. 1944; mixed media, 6 ¾ x 9 7/8 in. Private collection, Mexico City. © 2005 Ana María Norah Horna y Fernández. Courtesy Americas Society Art Gallery.

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Installation view. Photograph by Corrado Serra for Arts Summary.

1-el-iluminado-the-iluminated-1944

Kati Horna, El iluminado [The Iluminated], 1944, 11 x 13 ¼ in., Gelatin silver print. Private collection, Mexico City. © 2005 Ana María Norah Horna y Fernández. Courtesy Americas Society Art Gallery.

8-helen-escobedo-1960

Kati Horna, Helen Escobedo, 1960; gelatin silver print, 8 x 8 in. Private collection, Mexico City. © 2005 Ana María Norah Horna y Fernández. Courtesy Americas Society Art Gallery.

9. From the series Una noche en el sanitorio de muñecas [One Night at the Dolls’ Hospital], 1962

Kati Horna, From the series Una noche en el sanitorio de muñecas [One Night at the Dolls’ Hospital], 1962; Gelatin silver print, 7 11/16 x 9 5/8 in. Private collection, Mexico City. © 2005 Ana María Norah Horna y Fernández. Courtesy Americas Society Art Gallery.

10. Oda a la necrofilia, 1962

Kati Horna, “Oda a la necrofilia”, 1962, Gelatin silver print, 7 ½ x 8 in. Private collection, Mexico City © 2005 Ana María Norah Horna y Fernández. Courtesy Americas Society Art Gallery.

11-fanny-rabel-1964

Kati Horna, Fanny Rabel, 1964; gelatin silver print, 8 x 8 in. Private collection, Mexico City. © 2005 Ana María Norah Horna y Fernández. Courtesy Americas Society Art Gallery.

14. From the series Historia de un Vampiro, Sucedió en Coyoacán en 1962

Kati Horna, From the series Historia de un Vampiro: Sucedió en Coyoacán en 1962 [Story of a Vampire: It Happened in Coyoacán in 1962], 1962; gelatin silver print 89/16 x 75/8 in. Private collection, Mexico City. © 2005 Ana María Norah Horna y Fernández. Courtesy Americas Society Art Gallery.

15-untitled-ricardo-legorretas-datsun-mexicana-factory-1966

Kati Horna, Untitled [Ricardo Legorreta’s Datsun Mexicana Factory], 1966; gelatin silver print, 7 ¾ x 8 in. Private collection, Mexico City. © 2005 Ana María Norah Horna y Fernández. Courtesy Americas Society Art Gallery.

16-untitled-ricardo-legorretas-celanese-mexicana-building-1968

Kati Horna, Untitled [Ricardo Legorreta’s Celanese Mexicana Building], 1968; gelatin silver print, 7 ¾ x 8 in. Private collection, Mexico City. © 2005 Ana María Norah Horna y Fernández. Courtesy Americas Society Art Gallery.

 Exhibition was curated by Michel Otayek and Christina L. De León.