The Hispanic Society Museum & Library

12/12/2022

Join Nicolás Dumit Estévez for our fourth Artist Seminar Wednesday, December 14 at 6:00pm EST. YouTube link: https://youtu.be/yJ4zIprWykA

Nicolás Dumit Estévez Raful Espejo Ovalles’s research has been on the Lady of Altagracia’s iconography, the spiritual protector of many in the Dominican Republic, as well as Haiti and the diaspora. Through “Visioning the Brown Mother”, an experiential excavation of HSM&L’s collection of images of the Mother exported or imposed to the Americas, “Visioning the Brown Mother” seeks to decolonize this iconography in varied geo-political perspectives through one-on-one dialogues and reflections, and through spontaneous in-person exchanges in the streets of New York City.

The artist’s works, research and presentation are supported, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts and by the Vilcek Foundation.

📸 “Envisioning the Brown Mother”. Photo by Argenis Apolinario. Courtesy of the artist.

12/09/2022

Join us LIVE for our next Tertulia de Arte Hispano on Tuesday, December 13 at 6pm ET! Link https://youtu.be/PBImRHfx7dY:

Join Dr. Patrick Lenaghan, Head Curator of Prints, Photographs and Sculpture, and Hélène Fontoira Marzin, Head of Conservation, in a lively conversation about two recent Spanish photography exhibitions that featured works from the Hispanic Society's collections. In the 1920s, American photographer Ruth Anderson traveled throughout Spain, capturing the costumes and customs with impressive immediacy. Her images comprise one of the most appealing and important sections of the Hispanic Society's collection. In this Tertulia, Hélène Fontoira and Patrick Lenaghan will discuss the two exhibitions in Pontevedra and Zamora that showcased Anderson's remarkable achievements.

📸 Ruth Anderson, Farmers at El Campillo, 1926.

12/07/2022

TOMORROW December 8, Nicolás Dumit Estévez, one of our Artist Research Fellows, will engage in a one-person pilgrimage centered on Our Lady of Altagracia, patron saint of the Dominican Republic and to some, of the whole island of Hispaniola. Tatica, the short or nickname for Altagracia, has evolved to become one of the loas, spirits, of the Vodun pantheon named Alaila. The procession will start at 10am from the artist’s residence in the Bronx to the Hispanic Society in Washington Heights, two enclaves of Dominican presence in New York City, taking into consideration a back and forth between these two loci informing one another culturally.

If you wish you join the artist in this pilgrimage, please contact the artist at [email protected] or his Instagram

We will host a virtual Artist Seminar about the artist’s fellowship and pilgrimage on Wednesday, December 14 at 6pm ET. (Changed date!) YouTube LIVE link in bio. 🔗

The artist’s new work and presentation is supported in part by, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State. The Artist Research Fellowship Program is also supported, in part, by the Vilcek Foundation.

12/02/2022

Join Jessica Lagunas for our third Artist Seminar next Thursday, December 8 at 6:00pm EST. YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEG5OuM-hWY

Jessica Lagunas, an immigrant artist from Guatemala, will discuss her new artistic series “Feather Works” based on her research at the Hispanic Society inspired by our textile collection. The pre-Hispanic indigenous technic used in the Bishop’s Featherwork Miter (one of the objects in our collection) was the foundation for exploration, experimentation, and in which this series of feathers on paper and fabric emerged.

She has also been conducting research on the Manila shawls. She will show original works with feathers on paper and on fabric—based on one of the Manila shawls from our collection.

The artists’ new works, research and presentation are supported, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts and by the Vilcek Foundation.

Image: Jessica Lagunas, Untitled. Diptych, Feathers, Thread, Amate Paper, 2022.

11/29/2022

Join us this by making a donation to the Hispanic Society or giving the gift of membership. Likewise, you can also make a tax-deductible donation to the Annual Fund to support the Hispanic Society's mission, collections, and free educational programs: https://hispanicsociety.org/support_us/support-us/

Membership is tax-deductible and includes year-round invitations to exclusive in-person and virtual events, reserved seating in public programs, among so much more. By joining now, you will be invited to a special reception for the re-opening of Joaquín Sorolla’s Vision of Spain gallery and the Main Court in early 2023. Buy a membership for yourself, renew an expired membership, or give one to your friends and family!

You can learn more about our different levels of membership and special interest groups using this link: https://hispanicsociety.org/support_us/membership/.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

📸 View of “Vision of Spain” by Joaquín Sorolla. Hispanic Society Museum & Library.

11/24/2022

Have Thanksgiving! 🦃 This búcaro sculpture of a young turkey from Tonalá, Mexico is inspired by the naturalistic animals of Bernard Palissy’s pottery (1509–1590). The metallic sheen of the black micaceous clay enhances the incised and carved decoration of the piece. The group of búcaros in our collection are remarkable for having remained together and intact for more than three centuries, and individually are extraordinarily rare in every aspect. Among extant búcaros from Tonalá, the black-ware pieces are the rarest, and most are covered with a burnished black slip. The sculpture is extremely detailed with the feathers of the turkey hen individually carved and raised slightly in relief. Although the group of these animal sculptures are the only known examples, the 18th-century historian Matías de Mota Padilla commented that animal figures were among the most esteemed products from Tonalá.
 
📸 Turkey Sculpture Tonalá, Mexico, ca. 1650 Black micaceous clay. The Hispanic Society Museum & Library.

11/16/2022

Join Cecile Chong for our second Artist Seminar tomorrow, November 17 at 6:00pm EST. YouTube link: https://youtu.be/MWKNqGrHWzI

Cecile Chong has created a bilingual (English/Spanish) Stop Motion Animation video depicting the origin and production of Talavera Poblana, the tin-glazed ceramics produced in Puebla Mexico. She will focus on blue-and-white ware and its development and trajectory from China to the Middle East, Europe and Mexico. The title “Conversations in Blue-and-White” refers to the intercultural dialogues carried on through trade throughout history, and exchanges and influences among cultures throughout the world.

The artists’ new works and presentations are supported in part by, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State. The Research Artist Fellowship Program is supported, in part, by the Vilcek Foundation.

Cecile Chong. Not a Surprise (in Blue), 2021. Encaustic and mixed media on panel. 24 x 24 in. Courtesy of the artist.

11/11/2022

For Veterans Day we want to uplift the stories of artists who have served in the armed forces. Ernest Clifford Peixotto (1869-1940), whose work was recently on view on American Travelers: A Watercolor Journey Through Spain, Portugal, and Mexico, entered the First World War when the U.S. Army approved an official group of artists to document the fighting along the front lines of the American Expeditionary Forces. Peixotto was chosen as one of these eight artists, and became a captain in the Engineer Reserve Corps of the U.S. Army in 1918. His experiences as an official artist for the Army are recounted and illustrated in his book, The American Front (1919). He remained associated with the Army’s art training center in France after the war ended. His war work led to his being made a Chevalier in the Légion d’honneur.

Increasingly active in New York after the war, Peixotto became a prominent muralist. He taught mural painting at the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design in New York, from 1919 through 1926, and was president of the National Society of Mural Painters from 1929 to 1935. Nominated by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, Peixotto served on the New York City Municipal Art Commission from 1935 to 1940 (LaGuardia had reappointed him in 1937 to support the Works Project Administration’s Federal Art Project), and was director of murals on the Board of Design for the 1939 New York World’s Fair.

Image: Ernest C. Peixotto. Ávila. 1915. Watercolor on paper. Hispanic Society Museum & Library.

11/03/2022

We are pleased to announce a new series that brings contemporary artists into dialogues with the Hispanic Society vast collection. The first four seminars in this series have all received a grant from New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) to produce a new body of work during 2022. These artists have also received support prior to the NYSCA grant from the Vilcek Foundation to conduct research with our curators on the Hispanic Society’s Collection that related to their own artistic practice.

Join Blanka Amezkua for the first seminar of this series on Thursday, November 10 at 6:00pm. YouTube link: https://youtu.be/CC1ri_bGpIs

Blanka Amezkua will present her project, FLORAL CURE: Pre-Hispanic medicinal flowers, consisting of 20 papel picado objects from the 185 illustrations in the Cruz-Badiano codex in which a facsimile copy is in the collection of the Hispanic Society. Using the traditional papel picado (paper cutting) technique, its tools and tissue paper, she will also discuss her floral papel picado depiction and their medicinal properties taken directly from the codex.

📸 Blanka Amezkua: Chapter 5 - Dealing with teeth. Markers and colored pencils on paper. Variable dimensions. 2022.

11/01/2022

The Hispanic Society is highlighting the female artists, curators, researchers, librarians and writers who have been a part of the Museum & Library throughout its 118-year history with a series of videos. Join us for an in-depth look at the life and work of these women.

This month we pay tribute to Ada Marshall Johnson (1892-1962) and Anna Pursche (1896-1953), two women who were hired to work as librarians for the Hispanic Society. As part of an initiative begun by Huntington, both women were given the opportunity to travel throughout Europe to research primary materials and to make direct contact with the culture, art, and people that had either produced or served as inspiration for the material that was being preserved and studied at the Hispanic Society. These expeditions became a sort of “baptism by fire” and emulated the previous trips that Huntington himself had made in the peninsula.

To learn more, visit our YouTube channel and watch the video: https://youtu.be/wrGIgYUZf_Q. Research by Noemí Espinosa Fernández.

Image 1: Anna Pursche passport photo, 1923.

Image 2: HSA employees, back row: Dorothy M. Dartt, Alice J. McVan, Ada M. Johnson (highlighted figure), Ruth M. Anderson, Clara L. Penney, Eleanor E. Sherman Font, Florence L. May, Emily L. Andem, Elizabeth du Gué Trapier, June 17, 1950, Audubon Terrace.

10/31/2022

Happy from the Hispanic Society! 🎃👻

Masked Street Musicians (Murga ó mascaras tocando). José Gutiérrez Solana. 1912-1913.

10/25/2022

Join us LIVE for our next Tertulia de Arte Hispano on Tuesday, November 1st at 6:00PM! You can join the Tertulia using this link: https://youtu.be/TXxtW_OXZTo

Join Dr. John O'Neill, Curator of Manuscripts & Rare Books and Head of the Library, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Antonio de Nebrija's death. Nebrija is considered one of the most influential Spanish humanists of his era and an important contributor to the fields of Spanish grammar and lexicography. This Tertulia will present a brief overview of Nebrija's life and writings with particular reference to his three best-known works, Gramática de la lengua castellana (1492), Diccionario latino-español (1492) and Vocabulario español-latino (1495). This Tertulia will be hosted by Natalie Espino, Head of Education.

📸 Antonio de Nebrija. Diccionario latino-español.

10/14/2022

This weekend is the last chance to see American Travelers: A Watercolor Journey Through Spain, Portugal, and Mexico!

Tomorrow, Saturday, October 15, at 1:00pm we’ll have our last docent-led tour, as well as outdoor programming for the community. For the tours, please RSVP using the link in our bio.

12:00-1:00pm | Jugando N Play presents In My Dreams/En Mis Sueños: an outdoor multilingual interactive theatre piece.
RSVP required.

2:00-5:00pm
Join us to celebrate the Day of the Dead, enjoy a soulful performance by singer Claudia Valentina Montes, and participate in interactive workshops. Partake in the activities station and make marigold paper flowers, decorate your Día de Mu***os button, and make papel picado.
This program is presented in collaboration with Mano a Mano. RSVP required.

This weekend is the last chance to see American Travelers: A Watercolor Journey Through Spain, Portugal, and Mexico!

Tomorrow, Saturday, October 15, at 1:00pm we’ll have our last docent-led tour, as well as outdoor programming for the community. For the tour, please RSVP using the link in our bio.

12:00-1:00pm | Jugando N Play presents In My Dreams/En Mis Sueños: an outdoor multilingual interactive theatre piece.
RSVP required.

2:00-5:00pm
Join us to celebrate the Day of the Dead, enjoy a soulful performance by singer Claudia Valentina Montes, and participate in interactive workshops. Partake in the activities station and make marigold paper flowers, decorate your Día de Mu***os button, and make papel picado.

This program is presented in collaboration with Mano a Mano. RSVP required.

10/14/2022

FOUR DAYS! ¡CUATRO DÍAS! October 15 at 12pm. FREE. RSVP www.tinyurl.com/jnpdreams

The Hispanic Society Museum & Library (3753 Broadway New York, NY 10032, between 155th & 156th).

Free. Recommended for ages 4-8, fun for the whole family.
Gratis. Recomendado para niños de 4 a 8 años, divertido para toda la familia.

In My Dreams/En Mis Sueños is made possible in part with public funds from Creative Engagement, a regrant program supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by LMCC.

In My Dreams/En Mis Sueños es posible en parte con fondos públicos de Creative Engagement, un programa de refinanciación apoyado por el New York City Department of Cultural Affairs en colaboración con City Council y administrado por LMCC

10/14/2022

Día de Mu***os | Day of the Dead | MexCulture

Día de Mu***os | Day of the Dead | MexCulture

Join us to celebrate the Day of the Dead with live music and interactive workshops.

10/13/2022

DEADLINE APPROACHING: OCTOBER 17, 2022 ❗️

The Hispanic Society Museum & Library invites graduate scholars -either in progress or recent MA's or PhDs- to apply for our paid curatorial fellowships.

Placements will commence immediately and end Summer 2023. For details and submission instructions visit our website.
Send any questions to [email protected].

10/12/2022

In early 1909, Childe Hassam almost certainly visited the exhibition of Joaquín Sorolla’s works at The Hispanic Society of America, including both monumental oil paintings and a large group of small “pochette” (or pochade) panels with outdoor oil sketches. In September and October of 1910, Hassam included a stay in Spain as part of a longer European trip. Visiting Hassam’s subsequent exhibition in February 1911 in New York, Sorolla returned the compliment to Hassam, according to contemporary press reports: “What does Sorolla think of them? ‘Très bien!’ he exclaimed as he stood before the Spanish pictures.” Sorolla invited our founder Archer Milton Huntington to this exhibition, where Huntington acquired at least three oil pictures and three watercolors -including the one viewed here- possibly bought directly from Hassam.

Be sure not to miss it! American Travelers: A Watercolor Journey Through Spain, Portugal, and Mexico is on view until Sunday, October 16th, 2022. Open from Thursday - Sunday, 12-6pm.

📸 Ronda. Childe Hassam. 1910. Oil on wood panel.