Traveling the US for the Best in Latin-American Art
 Helen Eckinger - McClatchy Newspapers
| | Portrait of Lorenzo Homar. Courtesy of Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte, Univ. de Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. Right: Portrait of Pietri by Adál, 1994. |
To immerse yourself in the work of Jesus Soto, Lorenzo Homar, Carlos Cruz-Diez or dozens of other Latin American artists, check out these museums around the United States.
EL MUSEO DEL BARRIO, NEW YORK
Located in Spanish Harlem, El Museo del Barrio is devoted to Caribbean and Latin American art. El Museo's permanent collection contains 8,000 objects, ranging from Pre-Columbian ceramics to Pepon Osorio's furniture installations, with a special emphasis on contemporary printmaking and Puerto Rican art.
This summer, El Museo is featuring two special exhibitions. "Between the Lines: Text as Image, An Homage to Lorenzo Homar and the Reverend Pedro Pietri" focuses on the link between the visual arts and language, evidenced both in Homar's prints and Pietri's Spanglish poetic performances. "Hector Mendez Caratini, The Eye of Memory: Three Decades, 1974-2003" documents changes in Latin American culture using photography and video. Both exhibits run through Sept. 10.
During the summer, the museum is also hosting Thursday Nights at El Museo, a series of concerts in its Fifth Avenue courtyard.
El Museo Del Barrio, 1230 Fifth Ave., New York; 212-831-7272; www.elmuseo.org. Open Wednesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission: Adults $6, students and seniors $4, members and children under 12 free.
ART MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAS, WASHINGTON, D.C.
The Art Museum of the Americas began as an art gallery in the Organization of American States' headquarters and expanded into a museum in 1976. Early pieces by Carlos Cruz-Diez, Alejandro Obregon and other Latin American and Caribbean artists form the core of its permanent collection.
The museum will be closed from July 24 to Aug. 4, then will feature an exhibit of Jamaican artwork in collaboration with the Embassy of Jamaica.
Art Museum of the Americas, 201 18th St., NW, Washington, D.C.; 202-458-6016; www.museum.oas.org. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free.
MUSEUM OF LATIN AMERICAN ART, LONG BEACH, CALIF.
The Museum of Latin American Art is devoted to work by artists who have lived and worked in Latin American countries since World War II. The museum is home to one of the United States' largest Latin American art collections, as well as to the country's only sculpture garden containing pieces exclusively by Latin American artists.
Through Aug. 6, the museum is hosting a retrospective devoted to the life and work of Jesus Soto, the late Venezuelan kinetic artist.
This fall, the museum will celebrate its 10th anniversary with the grand opening of its expanded facilities, the country's largest-yet auction of Latin American art, the arrival of Miami artist Glexis Novoa as the museum's guest artist, and an exhibition of Latin American masterworks from 1950 through the present.
Museum of Latin American Art. 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach; 562-437-1689; www.molaa.org. Open Tuesday-Friday, 11:30 a.m -7 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Admission: adults $5, students and seniors $3, children under 12 free. Fridays are free for all
MUSEO DE LAS AMERICAS, DENVER, COLO.
Museo de las Americas has two permanent collections: The Ancient Art of the Americas and Art of the People, which explores Latin American folk art. The museum is currently hosting "Heaven and Earth," which explores the Old World and New World aesthetics that are interwoven in Mexican art from 1521 to 1850. The exhibit, which runs through Oct. 8, features religious paintings, family portraits, and a selection of silver pieces.
Museo de las Americas, 861 Santa Fe Dr., Denver; 303-571-4401; www.museo.org. Open Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Admission: adults $4, students and seniors $3, children under 12 and members free.
NATIONAL HISPANIC CULTURAL CENTER, ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.
In addition to housing a permanent art collection and a rotating series of special exhibits, the National Hispanic Cultural Center also hosts dance, theater and music events and promotes academic research in its rare books library.
"The FEMSA Collection, A Continental Vision," running through Aug. 13, features 59 modern and contemporary pieces, ranging from paintings by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera to works by young, contemporary artists including Paula Santiago and Marco Arce.
National Hispanic Cultural Center. 1701 Fourth St., SW, Albuquerque; 505-246-2261; www.nhccnm.org/. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission: $3 adults, $2 seniors, children under 16 free.
MEXICAN FINE ARTS CENTER MUSEUM, CHICAGO
The Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum's permanent collection contains objects ranging from pre-Columbian artifacts to contemporary artwork. Especially notable are the museum's records - photographs and drawings - of Mayan monuments, as many of the originals were subsequently destroyed by the elements.
The museum's current feature exhibit, "The African Presence in Mexico: From Yanga to the Present," chronicles African involvement in Mexico's history, from the establishment of Yanga, the first free African township in the Americas in 1609, through modern times. The exhibit also features work by both Mexican and Afro-Mexican artists and will run through Sept. 3.
Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, 1852 West 19th St., Chicago; 312-738-1503; www.mfacmchicago.org. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free. |
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