LACMA’s fifth PST: LA/LA exhibition, Painted in Mexico, 1700–1790: Pinxit Mexici, presents over 100 works that showcase a vibrant period in Mexican painting, exploring the great inventiveness of the artists who contributed to the development of painting during that time and the varying contexts in which they created these splendid works. 

This rare abundance of 18th century Mexican paintings features many that were restored for this exhibition, including Antonio de Torres’s The Elevation of the Cross (Elevación de la cruz), which LACMA acquired in 2016. Torres created the monumental painting as part of a set depicting the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) for the Franciscan convent church of San Luis Potosí, which commissioned several works from the artist. Learn more about the history of this masterpiece, its creator, and the conservation process it underwent in the video below, narrated by actor Julian Sands.