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TIDA approves loan of five Miguel Covarrubias murals to Mexico museum
Summary
The Treasure Island Development Authority board authorized a loan of five of the six-panel Covarrubias murals to Fomento Cultural Banamex for an April–September 2025 exhibition in Mexico City; the borrower will cover all transport, insurance and exhibition costs. One mural from the original set remains missing.
The Treasure Island Development Authority board voted to authorize a temporary loan of five murals by Mexican artist Miguel Covarrubias to Fomento Cultural Banamex for exhibition in Mexico City.
TIDA staff described the murals and the loan terms and said the borrower will carry wall‑to‑wall costs — including transport, insurance and exhibition expenses — from the time the murals leave TIDA custody until their return. The proposed loan period in the staff report runs from March 24, 2025, through Oct. 10, 2025, and the exhibition dates are April 23 through Sept. 21, 2025, at the Palacio de Cultura in Mexico City.
Peter Somerville, TIDA staff, summarized the murals’ history, noting they were painted for the 1939–40 Golden Gate International Exhibition on Treasure Island and that five of the six-panel set are in TIDA’s possession today. Somerville said the sixth mural, “Art Forms of the Pacific,” is unaccounted for: “a lot of amateur, sort of interested art historians have looked into it.”
Director Richardson moved approval of the loan. “I will be very glad to make the motion to approve the loan,” Richardson said during the meeting. A board member identified in the record as Yvette seconded the motion and voiced support: “I’m in total support of this, and I was gonna make the motion, but somebody made the motion. So I’ll second that.” The board approved the loan by voice vote.
Board discussion acknowledged the murals’ place in Treasure Island’s history and the value of a cultural exchange with Mexico. Staff emphasized that the borrower met TIDA’s loan‑agreement insurance and environmental standards for exhibition facilities.
The board also heard that TIDA keeps the murals in crated storage when not on exhibit and intends a permanent installation on the island when feasible. Somerville reiterated that while six murals were originally commissioned, TIDA currently owns five and the location of the sixth remains a mystery.
No additional conditions or amendments to the loan were recorded in the meeting minutes.
