Cheech Marin, legendary comedian, actor, director, author and art collector, came to talk about his collection of Chicano art Tuesday at the Amarillo Museum of Art. Marin has a tour called “Las Chicanitas” show with which he has been traveling across the country the past several years to make people more aware of Chicano art. He started collecting paintings in 1985 and now holds the world record for having the largest collection of Chicano art. It is not like other types of art, Marin said; it has a unique element.
“Chicano art is not based on style; it’s not a certain type of painting,” he said. “It is a description of a culture told from many different viewpoints.” Marin mentioned how people already judge this type of art without taking the time to appreciate it. He said he became fascinated with art when he was assigned to study art as an extracurricular activity as a child. After that, he started visiting museums and learning as much as he could about art. “You can’t love or hate Chicano art unless you see it,” Marin said.
Leave a Reply