Yolanda López exhibit now open at Fresno's Arte Americas

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The iconic work of Latina artist Yolanda López is now being showcased for the first time in the Central Valley at Arte Americas.

López passed away in 2021, two months before her first-ever solo exhibition.

Her son, Rio Yañez, says she helped decide what art pieces would be showcased and is excited to help keep her legacy alive.

"She really wanted to honor women with a place in the art world and honor Chicanas and Mexican Americans and Latinas with a place on the walls of museums and galleries," said Yañez.

In 2021, her first-ever solo exhibition was held at the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego, her hometown.

Ever since, the exhibit, "Yolanda López: Portrait of the Artist," has been showcased in several communities.

For the next few months, it will be in Downtown Fresno.

"I am excited to bring her work here as a cultural arts center; so far, we are the only non-museum to host his exhibition," said Arte Américas Executive Director Arianna Chávez.

Fifty original pieces are at Arte Americas, including her self-portraits in running shoes highlighting her experience as a UC San Diego graduate student in 1975.

You'll also see her well-known and controversial Guadalupe series from the 1980s.

"That is probably the most famous work of art she ever produced. Within the exhibition, you will see other series she worked on where she is extending those ideas," said Chávez.

Yañez remembers the many challenges his mom faced as she stood firm by her work.

"They were seen as dangerous and divisive. For a lot of the work in the exhibition, my mom received death threats, and galleries that showed her work in the 80s had their windows broken, and she received harassing phone calls."

Yañez says despite the danger, he is proud of his mother's message and work.

"It's really meaningful for me, as her son and someone who lived through that with her, to see her work celebrated in this way," Yañez explained.

López passed away from liver cancer, and Yanez says he will keep his mother's legacy alive for generations to come.

The opening reception was on Thursday evening, and the admission was free.

You can stop by anytime Thursday through Sunday between noon and 5 pm.