Four Self-Portraits

Date1995

Maker Alfredo Arreguín American, born Morelia, Mexico,1935; died Seattle, Washington, 2023

Label TextStep inside the magical world of Alfredo Arreguín where space and time has collapsed into a hypnotic tapestry of colors and images. It is as if long-ago memories have entwined with the present time, like an epic dream remembered upon awakening. Celebrated for his exuberant, highly patterned compositions that include iconic images of the Virgin Mary, Frida Kahlo, Mexican revolutionaries, Aztec gods, jungle flora and fauna, and the geography of the Pacific Northwest (his adopted home since 1956), the artist asks us find the story within, to unravel a mystery. Do you see the four pairs of eyes hidden among the bounty of color and form?

Object number2022.13

ProvenanceThe artist; [Linda Hodges Gallery, Seattle, Washington]; purchased from gallery by Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 2022

Photo CreditPhoto: Scott Leen

Exhibition HistorySalem, Oregon, Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, El Esplendor de la Selva, 2010. Yakima, Washington, Yakima Valley Museum, In the Shadow of the Master: Alfredo Arreguín and Doug Johnson, Sept. 16, 2016 - Jan. 7, 2017. Bainbridge Island, Washington, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Alfredo Arreguín: Life Patterns, Oct. 13, 2018 - Feb. 17, 2019. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, American Art: The Stories We Carry, Oct. 20, 2022 - ongoing. Published ReferencesFlores, Lauro. Alfredo Arreguín: Patterns of Dreams and Nature (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2007); p. 122, reproduced p. 116.

Credit LineBill and Melinda Gates Foundation Art Acquisition Fund

DimensionsPainting: 49 3/8 x 42 3/8 in. (125.4 x 107.6 cm) Frame: 55 x 43 in. (139.7 x 109.2 cm)

MediumOil on canvas