Stendahl’s World: Marketing Ancient Mexico and Modern Art in Los Angeles

Around 1940, after decades of selling landscapes and Modern paintings, Earl Stendahl turned to Mexican antiquities, transforming the market for pre-Hispanic art in Los Angeles and beyond. Stendahl Art Galleries promoted the ancient artifacts of Mexico as commodities for both museum and private collections, launching exhibitions across the United States and Europe and building on Hollywood connections for product placement in advertising campaigns. Meanwhile, archaeological sites in Mexico suffered irreparable depredations.