Everyone seems to hate corporations these days, and the bastards have definitely earned much of it. For all the moaning and crying that CEO's do, they are still making big bucks and spending that money to make more money. That is the main goal of acquiring an art collection. They think it is a nearly infallible investment. Whether that is true or not is highly questionable, but it is not the only reason powerful businesses battle each other for the latest big purchase. Art has for all time been used to burnish the persona of individuals as well as corporations. Modern Fortune 500 companies are no different from any other past conglomerate loading up their personal spaces with the world's art, seeking a bit of that art's glory to rub off.
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Art depends on this need that corporations have. The modern world's money engine are the multinational corporations. Like the Vatican before them, they use their power to gather art, chosen by professional art advisers not just for it's future value and current quality and beauty, but also for it's lack of scandal or controversy. This is evident in the current photography exhibit on display off the South entrance to the Bank of America lobby. Titled Luces y Sombras: Twelve Travelers in Mexico, the show's stated theme is that of the traveler, but judging from the selection of images, the Mexico being photographed is better enjoyed on it's formal aesthetic terms as opposed to anything culturally Mexican.
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This is odd because the core of the exhibition is pulled from a work called The Mexican Portfolio by painter, photographer, and filmmaker Paul Strand, who traveled to Mexico between the World Wars and decided to take up residence in the country for years at a time. The other choices also draw from expat artists, mostly American, who like Strand, found something tremendously beautiful in Mexico. Many became deeply enamored of their new home, using their art for social change.
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The Mexican Portfolio was one of these important works which drew people to Mexico in the years following it's publication. The selection of images are chosen for such formal qualities that any social commentary ends up ignored. It focuses on abstract architectural details, religious icons and statuary, and somber formal portraits. They are beautiful images, highly contrasted light and dark spaces in an infinity of tones, but collectively they build no narrative about the Mexico we are looking at, and that is how the bank wants it to be. After all, images of poverty cast a harsh shadow on the opulent bank lobby in which they reside. It doesn't help that the exhibit is tucked away in a corner, visited mainly by people making phone calls and seeking a quiet empty area to do so.
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Who else needs art to aid in image spin control? Mexico! Things are ugly and getting uglier in our neighbor's front yard. This exhibit is part of a Mexican Bicentennial celebration and is underwritten by the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Consulate General of Mexico. Bank of America invests heavily in Mexico and needs to do something to improve the rightfully harsh public image of that country. Are these photos of Mexico by non-Mexicans beautiful artistic images? Yes. Do they collectively give the viewer a deeper knowledge of the Mexico the artists fell in love with? No. Even great art can be dulled by playing it safe.
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Corporations have their own individual personalities. Their art choices tell as much about them as your choices do about you. Join me in exploring Houston's corporate psyche through what they choose to adorn themselves with, their art collections.
RXTT
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