Latin American Art Center Stage in Philadelphia
Tuesday September 5, 2006
by Stan Parchin
September 5, 2006
Two important special exhibitions in Philadelphia this Fall and Winter will explore Latin American art in varying degrees of depth and historical scope. Both presentations begin with the indigenous Central and South American peoples' first contacts with the European explorers of the Late Fifteenth and Early Sixteenth Centuries.
Tesoros/Treasures/Tesouros: The Arts in Latin America, 1492-1820 runs from September 20 to December 31, 2006 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Some 300 works created in the viceroyalties of New Spain, Peru and the Portuguese colony of Brazil represent more than three centuries of masterpieces by artists of European, native American and mestizo or mixed ancestry. Arranged thematically and chronologically, ceramics, paintings, sculptures, textiles, gold and silver objects, examples of featherwork and shell-inlaid pieces of furniture, many unfamiliar to American audiences, explain how the various cultures' encounters with each other affected their expressions of identity in art. Devotional works made to assist the Christian missionaries in their attempts at religious conversion of the native peoples and secular objects produced for the viceroys (royal officials who governed the New World colonies for the Spanish and Portuguese monarchs) will also be on view. This ticketed international loan exhibition from public and private collections will subsequently travel to Mexico City and Los Angeles.
Under European Eyes: Conquistadors and Arts of the New World runs from September 23, 2006 to February 27, 2007 at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. An intimate display of more than 40 Mexican, Central and South American objects, drawn exclusively from the museum's vast collection, explores how the European conquerors reacted to the indigenous civilizations and their art. Breastplates, featherwork, gold jewelry, sculptures and an Andean string record-keeping instrument called a quipu demonstrate the continuity and survival of the native Americans' artistic traditions despite the imposition of foreign governance by the Spanish crown's colonial officials. The museum's nearby Mesoamerican Gallery offers a rich selection of works of art by the Maya, Mexican and other Central American cultures before the arrival of the Old World explorers and their crews.
As each exhibition excellently complements the other, seeing both while in Philadelphia is highly recommended.
Unknown (Bolivian)
Virgin of the Hill with King Charles V
ca. 1740
Oil on canvas
142 x 110 cm
© Casa Nacional de Moneda-Fundación Cultural
Photo courtesy Philadelphia Museum of Art
Zoomorphic Pendant Set with Emerald
ca. 700-900 A.D.
Sitio Conte, Panama
Gold
© University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology
and Anthropology
September 5, 2006
Two important special exhibitions in Philadelphia this Fall and Winter will explore Latin American art in varying degrees of depth and historical scope. Both presentations begin with the indigenous Central and South American peoples' first contacts with the European explorers of the Late Fifteenth and Early Sixteenth Centuries.
Tesoros/Treasures/Tesouros: The Arts in Latin America, 1492-1820 runs from September 20 to December 31, 2006 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Some 300 works created in the viceroyalties of New Spain, Peru and the Portuguese colony of Brazil represent more than three centuries of masterpieces by artists of European, native American and mestizo or mixed ancestry. Arranged thematically and chronologically, ceramics, paintings, sculptures, textiles, gold and silver objects, examples of featherwork and shell-inlaid pieces of furniture, many unfamiliar to American audiences, explain how the various cultures' encounters with each other affected their expressions of identity in art. Devotional works made to assist the Christian missionaries in their attempts at religious conversion of the native peoples and secular objects produced for the viceroys (royal officials who governed the New World colonies for the Spanish and Portuguese monarchs) will also be on view. This ticketed international loan exhibition from public and private collections will subsequently travel to Mexico City and Los Angeles.
Under European Eyes: Conquistadors and Arts of the New World runs from September 23, 2006 to February 27, 2007 at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. An intimate display of more than 40 Mexican, Central and South American objects, drawn exclusively from the museum's vast collection, explores how the European conquerors reacted to the indigenous civilizations and their art. Breastplates, featherwork, gold jewelry, sculptures and an Andean string record-keeping instrument called a quipu demonstrate the continuity and survival of the native Americans' artistic traditions despite the imposition of foreign governance by the Spanish crown's colonial officials. The museum's nearby Mesoamerican Gallery offers a rich selection of works of art by the Maya, Mexican and other Central American cultures before the arrival of the Old World explorers and their crews.
As each exhibition excellently complements the other, seeing both while in Philadelphia is highly recommended.
Unknown (Bolivian)
Virgin of the Hill with King Charles V
ca. 1740
Oil on canvas
142 x 110 cm
© Casa Nacional de Moneda-Fundación Cultural
Photo courtesy Philadelphia Museum of Art
Zoomorphic Pendant Set with Emerald
ca. 700-900 A.D.
Sitio Conte, Panama
Gold
© University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology
and Anthropology
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