NEW YORK, NY.- Throckmorton Fine Art will present POINTS WEST: Formative Stone Sculpture from Mesoamerica from May 21- July 11, 2026. Drawn from collections assembled over nearly fifty years in New York, California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, POINTS WEST offers a fresh look at the development of Formative-period stone sculpture in Mesoamerica. Spanning 1200 BCE to 400 CE, the exhibition of 60 objects brings together some of the most striking and sophisticated abstractions of the human figure in the ancient Americas. POINTS WEST will open with a reception on May 21 from 6-8 p.m.

With the Olmec begins one of the great cultural traditions of the ancient Americas, a story that unfolds across more than 2,500 years. In the mid-20th century, when artist and historian Miguel Covarrubias famously described the Olmec as the “mother culture” of Mesoamerica, he also suggested that Olmec art may have begun in the highlands of Guerrero. He linked it to the Mezcala style, whose abstract stone figures seemed to offer a possible starting point for Olmec imagery. At the time, that idea made sense: the Olmec style had to come from somewhere, and Mezcala looked like a likely source.

Today, the Olmec are seen as one of the few “originary” cultures—among only a handful historically that arose without any apparent precedent that includes the ancient Moche in the western hemisphere and the Neolithic Hongshan culture in the eastern hemisphere. From that perspective, Mezcala and related styles such as Chontal and Sultepec are better understood not as precursors to Olmec art, but as later traditions that emerged as Olmec culture declined. During the Middle and Late Formative periods (circa 900-300 BCE), artists in Guerrero developed a local sculptural style that had stronger ties to western Mexico and was expressed mainly in stone rather than clay.

The works on view in Points West help show that shift. They include both highly abstract figures and more recognizable forms, among them the well-known “stargazers,” acrobats, seated and bench figures, flying figures, and animals such as jaguars. Many of these images are connected to themes important in Olmec culture, including leadership, religion, and maize agriculture, but they are not commonly seen in the art of other parts of western Mexico. The temple models in the exhibition, which are especially distinctive within Mezcala art, also suggest a later moment in this cultural history.

Points West is accompanied by a catalogue with an essay by GA Wardle.

Throckmorton Fine Art

Spencer Throckmorton founded Throckmorton Fine Art in 1980 and maintains a high-profile gallery in New York City’s East 57th Street art district. Throckmorton is unique in its approach to dealing in several categories and for supporting a vigorous exhibition and publishing program for each specialty. He has become one of the foremost sources for important Latin American contemporary and vintage photography, as well as for pre-Columbian artworks, and Chinese jade and antiquities.

Throckmorton Fine Art has participated in the most important art fairs including the annual Winter Show, where it has been a featured exhibitor for the last 30 years, and an exhibitor at The Photography Show presented by AIPAD for more than 20 years. Throckmorton has also been a member of ATADA (The Antique Tribal Art Dealers Association, Inc.) and the International Association for Ancient Asian and Tribal Art (formerly NADAOPA).

For further information contact: Spencer Throckmorton, Throckmorton Fine Art, Inc.
Call: +1 (212) 223-1059 | Email: info@throckmorton-nyc.com

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