An interview of Mexican born American artist Carlos Almaraz conducted 1986 February 6-1987 January 29, by Margarita Nieto, for the Archives of American Art.
Almaraz discusses his childhood and education; the development of his interest in art; his experiences living in New York City from 1965 to 1970; and his return to Southern California in the early 1970s. He speaks of his participation in the muralism movement in Los Angeles in the 1970s; his political involvement in the United Farm Workers movement; his personal art work (as opposed to collective work with the muralists); his trip to China in 1974; people he met in New York and southern California; and recent developments in the Los Angeles art world. The interview is concluded with Almaraz speaking of his wife Elsa Flores and their daughter Maya.
Biographical / Historical:
Carlos Almaraz (1941-1989) was a Mexican born American mural painter from Los Angeles, California.
General:
Originally recorded on 8 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 14 digital wav files. Duration is 5 hrs., 56 minutes.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
