Born in Veracruz in 1890, Cabral grew to be one of the nation's most renowned illustrators, particularly for his political caricatures of presidents like Porfirio Díaz and movie posters from Mexico's golden age of film between 1936 and 1956.

Today, Cabral's posters for films like "Qué Lindo," "Cha cha cha," "El Gato sin botas" and "El Médico de las locas" are valuable and highly sought after.

While the in-depth exhibition at the University of Guanajuato provides a full portrait of Cabral's career, from his amateur drawings to his covers for magazines like Excelsior Jueves, the movie poster exhibition inside the Hidalgo Market is the highlight. Gigantic posters hang above the vendors and can be viewed from different perspectives. Many of them feature buxom women with coy expressions, and other playful imagery.

MORE POSTER ART

Well-know Japanese poster artist Tadanori Yokoo has a small but captivating exhibition at Guanajuato's Casa de la Cultural. While Cabral's posters are romantically drawn and portray voluptuous characters, Yokoo's montages come from a more pop- and graphic- art influence and are more daring in depicting sex and death.

Some know him as Japan's Andy Warhol, while others note his adherence to Japanese traditions like calligraphy and poetry in his art. Yokoo has designed posters for international pop culture stars from theatre and film as well as for musicians like the Beatles and Santana. And where Cabral veered towards the political, Yokoo was drawn towards the commercial, executing ad campaigns for companies like Nissan.

The Ernesto "El Chango" García Cabral exhibitions will show at the University of Guanajuato, the Steps of the Teatro Juárez and the Mercado Hidalgo until Oct. 21. The Tadanori Yokoo exhibit at the Casa de la Cultura will run for the same duration. Entrance to all shows is free.

By Eliza Barclay