Gender, race and esotericism in Mexican visual art: the case of María Izquierdo (1902-1955)

María Izquierdo (1902–1955), born into a mestizo family, was the first Mexican woman to exhibit in the United States. Influenced by esoteric currents like Theosophy during her 1930 stay in New York, she incorporated astrological motifs into her 1930s paintings of women. Upon returning to Mexico, Izquierdo was commissioned for a public mural, yet her work was rejected by muralists Siqueiros, Orozco, and Rivera. This presentation explores how race, gender, and esotericism intersected to marginalize Izquierdo in the art scene and how she used esoteric themes to contest her exclusion as a mestiza woman.