About This Artwork
Elizabeth Catlett
American, born 1915
La Presa, 1952
Linoleum cut on gray laid paper
450 x 370 mm (image); 638 x 484 mm (sheet)
Restricted gift of The Leadership Advisory Committee, 2005.144
Prints and Drawings
Not on Display
This print, La presa (The Dam), is representative of work Elizabeth Catlett produced for the Taller de Gráfica Popular (People’s Graphic Arts Workshop) to celebrate Mexicanidad (Mexican revolutionary spirit) and social and economic progress. This specific print is part of a series created to laud the achievements of Lázaro Cárdenas’s presidency: in this case, building a dam and channeling environmental resources into impoverished areas of the country, spreading electricity and improved education throughout Mexico. The print was produced for a government-sponsored conference and was exhibited there.