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One of the greatest treasures of the Dartmouth College collection is the
ambitious mural The Epic of American Civilization, painted by the
Mexican artist
José Clemente Orozco between 1932 and 1934 in the reserve corridor of Baker
Library. Offering a complex and compelling narrative that covers the history of
the Americas from the migration of the Aztecs into central Mexico to the
development of our modern industrialized society, the mural is composed of
twenty-four individual panels, or "scenes," and covers approximately 3,200
square feet. One of Orozco's greatest works, The Epic of American
Civilization must also be counted among the finest examples of mural
painting in this country. Visitors can view the mural whenever the
reserve room is
open.
Click here to download a pdf file of the Hood Museum of Art and Dartmouth College Library free brochure entitled Orozco at Dartmouth.
Click here, then here, to download only the visitor's guide from the brochure.
Three audio commentaries about Orozco's murals are available for you to
download:
--
Take a tour with Assistant Professor Mary Coffey of the Art History
Department, Dartmouth College. Professor Coffey is a specialist in Latin
American art.
--
Listen to a question-and-answer session about Orozco's commission and
experience at Dartmouth with independent scholar Dr. Jacquelynn Baas, Director
Emeritus of the University of California, Berkeley, Art Museum and Pacific Film
Archive and first Director of the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth
College.
--
Take a tour with Professor John Watanabe of the Anthropology
Department at Dartmouth College. Professor Watanabe is a Latin American
and Mesoamerican specialist.
Photographs of the murals may be taken for personal use only. Flash photography is not allowed.
For use of reproductions of Orozco mural images in a publication, please make a request in writing or by fax to the Hood Museum of Art. In the request, state the intended usage and whether the image will be produced in B&W or in color. Upon receipt, the Hood Museum will prepare a permission form and invoice to send to the applicant. B&W prints are sold to the applicant; 4 X 5 color transparencies are provided on a rental basis only.
Photographic Services
Hood Museum of Art
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH 03755-3591
603-646-1400 (FAX)
Tours of the mural are provided free of charge by the Hood Museum. Both adult and school tours tours can be arranged by contacting the Hood Tour Coordinator at least one month in advance of the tour date requested by e-mail hood.museum.tours@dartmouth.edu or phone (603) 646-1469. Click here for more information about the museum's school programs.
