Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Artifacts to Art: Collecting Ancient America in Midcentury L.A.

Artifacts to Art: Collecting Ancient America in Midcentury L.A.

Turner, Andrew D.
Miller, Mary E.
Villela, Khristaan

Paperback

Art HistoryGeneral Latin American HistoryIndigenous Art of the Americas

Currently unavailable to order

ISBN13: 9798887120287
Publisher: Getty Research Institute
Published: Aug 4 2026
Pages: 176
Weight: 1.27
Height: 0.60 Width: 5.90 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
This fascinating book reveals the history of how pre-Hispanic artifacts were smuggled into the United States and reconceptualized as works of art.

By the mid-twentieth century, ancient Mexican artifacts had undergone a striking transformation. Once dismissed as anthropological curiosities, sought after more for their ethnographic value than aesthetic merit, they had become prized artworks that were prominently displayed in major US museums, featured in advertisements and Hollywood films, and shown adorning the homes of celebrities.

At the center of this shift was Earl Stendahl, a savvy Los Angeles art dealer who played a pivotal role in shaping public and institutional perceptions of these objects. Through strategic marketing and a keen eye for opportunity, he repositioned these artifacts, selling them to an elite clientele that included movie stars, wealthy collectors, and museum curators. In doing so, he helped define a new canon of ancient American art.

Beneath this glamorous facade, however, lies a darker narrative of the looting, smuggling, and forgery that fueled this midcentury craze, exposing how the desire for authenticity and prestige often came at the expense of ethical collecting practices and cultural heritage. This book brings together art history, museum studies, and the politics of the antiquities trade, offering both a social history and a critical examination of how ancient Mexico's past was sold in twentieth-century America.

This volume is published to accompany an exhibition on view at the Getty Research Institute at the Getty Center from June 23 to October 18, 2026.

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Indigenous Art of the Americas

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