Martín Ramírez: Framing His Life and Art

Description

Featuring extensive, newly uncovered biographical information, Martín Ramírez is the definitive study of the life and critical reception of the Mexican migrant and psychiatric patient who became one of the twentieth century’s finest artists. One of the foremost experts on Martín Ramírez and an authority on transnational migration and art, Espinosa holds a PhD in sociology from Northwestern University and currently teaches at the Ohio State University. He is the author of El dilema del retorno: Migración, género y pertenencia en un contexto transnacional. Reviews: “Elegant in both prose and argument, Espinosa’s book untangles Ramírez’s work from the conditions within which it has been defined in order to celebrate the radical complexities of the artist’s aesthetics and the power of recognizing him as “an example of resistance, survival, and artistic agency from the perspective of a subaltern subjectivity.” ” Publishers Weekly “Intellectually rigorous and deeply moving . . . As Espinosa tracks the path of Ramírez’s work out into the art world in this meticulous, corrective, and humanizing portrait of a remarkably persevering artist, he raises disquieting questions about immigration, race, mental illness, creativity, and how we categorize and value art.” Booklist, starred review “Víctor Espinosa’s passion for Martín Ramírez—his life and his art—has led to this illuminating volume. Espinosa details new biographical information about this important twentieth-century artist, and introduces previously unknown participants in the artist’s story, particularly during the time of his stay in Auburn, California. For anyone interested in American art, this is an essential read.” Brooke Davis Anderson, Executive Director, US Biennial, and curator of the exhibitions Martín Ramírez and Martín Ramírez: The Last Works “Martín Ramírez is an important and much-needed work in the messy, at times superficial, and often contradictory field of ‘outsider’ art. There are actually very few knowledgeable, serious, and sensitive works assessing the whole field or a particular artist. With both considerable knowledge and passion, Víctor Espinosa fervently tells the story of Martín Ramírez and his role in the making of the outsider myth in all of its poignant and pathetic glory. This book will take its place as one of the handful of truly important works in the outsider field.” Norman Girardot, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Lehigh University, and author of Envisioning Howard Finster: The Religion and Art of a Stranger from Another World Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Introducing Martín Ramírez: A Transnational Migrant Worker from Los Altos de Jalisco 2. "Disoriented in Mind": Ramírez's Involuntary Seclusion 3. Art inside a Total Institution 4. A Psychotic Artist or the Mexican Henri Rousseau? 5. Marketing and Constructing the Reputation of an Outsider Master 6. The Enigma of Martín Ramírez Notes Index