Arts & Entertainment

New York Hispanic Society exhibits art by Goya, Velazquez, El Greco

New York, Feb 16 (EFE).- The Hispanic Society of New York, which houses the largest collection of Spanish and Hispanic art outside Spain, launched Wednesday a months-long exhibition of works by Goya, Velazquez, Zurbaran and El Greco, among other artists.

The company, which since 2017 has been closed at its New York headquarters for works and with no clear reopening date, opened the exhibition called “Our house: rediscovering the treasures” which had already been seen in Houston, and plans to go to Toronto and London.

This exhibition not only includes the major works of the collection, but also includes objects from Muslim Spain (such as a remarkable ivory box from Medina Azahara or a tapestry from the Nasrid court of Granada) to various examples of Spanish-American colonial art.

A shawl from Mexico dating from 1775, a silver tray from Upper Peru from 1700, a Bolivian wooden chest from 1643 or some watercolors of Peruvian bullfighting from 1807 are among the objects on display. They showcase the immense heritage that goes far beyond what is merely Spanish, Guillaume Kienz, the society’s director, told EFE.

The most popular works during the opening were “The Duchess of Alba” by Francisco de Goya, the “Portrait of a Girl” by Diego Velazquez or “Penitent Saint Jerome” by El Greco.

There are also notable oil paintings by 20th century artists such as Sorolla – one of the most present artists in the society’s collection – Zuloaga, Fortuny or Santiago Rusinol, and even Tapies, a sign that the society has continued to acquire art in the contemporary era.

The Hispanic Society, which received the Princess of Asturias Award for cooperation in 2017, was founded in 1904 by Archer Milton Huntington, a wealthy man in love with Spanish culture, who acquired thousands of artistic objects throughout his life.

Currently, the society’s fund has 750,000 artifacts – mainly paintings, but also ceramics or textiles – at its headquarters in Harlem, in Upper Manhattan, but the main headquarters has been closed since 2017; while they undertake renovation works, he lends some of his most emblematic pieces in temporary exhibitions. EFE

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