Art Criticism in Mexico: Debates and Definitions, 1940-1966 describes the antecedents of criticism to account for how, alongside transformations in artistic practices, there are also transformations in the discourses that define, accompany, describe, and theorize them, allowing us to consider that the order of things is also the order of discourse.

The debate generally begins with the recognition that Mexican modernity started with the Revolution. Both realists and abstract artists held completely different positions on how this revolutionary process could continue through art and what its consequences might be. The former believed that the Revolution was an unfinished process and that art should continue its principles by serving it through the quintessential Mexican modern art form: muralism. The so-called abstract thinkers constantly question these positions, and although for them the Revolution is also a foundational moment, they envision a broader dialectic that always considers Western dialogue within a kind of universal Mexicanism, which redefines the notion of identity.

The text follows a roughly linear structure, beginning with reflections from the mid-1930s and ending around 1966. The purpose of this structure is to clearly highlight the shift in opinion over the years, but this does not mean that reading only fragments of the book provides a general understanding of the argument. This is because, to follow the debate that spans those 26 years, it is necessary to observe the changing positions that emerge over time. Therefore, each chapter refers to a problem or event that will shape the critical arguments developed later. Furthermore, each chapter details some of the most important postulates of critics who are fundamental to the history of Mexican criticism.

Perhaps the greatest merit of this publication is that it opens up the historical debate on art criticism in Mexico, highlighting some of its most significant developments. It brings together debates and conflicts that had already been investigated, especially in master's and doctoral theses, but which acquire greater meaning when viewed together. It also allows us to see the complexity of these debates and their consequences for different conceptions of art, and it attempts to bring some order to concepts such as modernity, avant-garde, abstraction, realism, expression, the people, representation, and presence. Furthermore, it showcases the theoretical and visual references of many critics of the period and allows us to explore the complexity of many of their arguments, highlighting their most relevant postulates over time and demonstrating that none of them held a monolithic view.

We hope that this work will allow readers to reflect on the overall landscape of art criticism in Mexico and that it will generate new discussions and research that will help us understand, in a much broader way, the discourses on Mexican art in the 20th century.