Noted LACMA curator Virginia Fields dies suddenly from diabetes complications

Virginia Fields has died unexpectedly. She was a noted curator at the L.A. County Museum of Art whose exhibitions traveled around the country.

Twenty-two years ago Fields became the first curator of pre-Columbian art at the L.A. County Museum of Art. She helped grow the museum's collection of artifacts from the ancient people of North and South America. A museum colleague told the L.A. Times Fields worked hard to bring new information to the display of ancient art.

In one such exhibit Fields paired Aztec and Pueblo Indian artifacts with conceptual work by contemporary artists to tell the story of Aztlan, the mythic homeland.

The L.A. County Museum of Art says Virginia Fields died last week in Mexico City from complications of diabetes. Fields was 58 years old.

Her last exhibit as LACMA curator is set to be on display next spring. It's titled "Children of the Plumed Serpent: The Legacy of Quetzalcoatl in Ancient Mexico."