Archive of the World: Art and Imagination in Spanish America, 1500–1800

Archive of the World: Art and Imagination in Spanish America, 1500–1800

Archive of the World: Art and Imagination in Spanish America, 1500–1800 is the first exhibition of LACMA’s notable holdings of Spanish American art. Following the arrival of the Spaniards in the Americas in the 15th century, the region developed complex artistic traditions that drew on Indigenous, European, Asian, and African art. The Spanish conquest of the Philippines in 1565 inaugurated a commercial route that connected Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Private homes and civic and ecclesiastic institutions in Spanish America were filled with imported and locally made objects. Many local objects also traveled across the globe, attesting to their wide appeal. This confluence of riches signaled the status of the Americas as a major emporium—what one author described as “the archive of the world.” Featuring approximately 90 works, including several recent acquisitions, the exhibition emphasizes the creative power of Spanish America.

Following its presentation at LACMA, Archive of the World: Art and Imagination in Spanish America, 1500–1800 will be on view at the Frist Art Museum, Nashville, from October 20, 2023 through January 28, 2024, and the Saint Louis Art Museum from June 22 through September 8, 2024.

Archive of the World: Art and Imagination in Spanish America, 1500–1800 is the first exhibition of LACMA’s notable holdings of Spanish American art. Following the arrival of the Spaniards in the Americas in the 15th century, the region developed complex artistic traditions that drew on Indigenous, European, Asian, and African art. The Spanish conquest of the Philippines in 1565 inaugurated a commercial route that connected Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Private homes and civic and ecclesiastic institutions in Spanish America were filled with imported and locally made objects. Many local objects also traveled across the globe, attesting to their wide appeal. This confluence of riches signaled the status of the Americas as a major emporium—what one author described as “the archive of the world.” Featuring approximately 90 works, including several recent acquisitions, the exhibition emphasizes the creative power of Spanish America.

Following its presentation at LACMA, Archive of the World: Art and Imagination in Spanish America, 1500–1800 will be on view at the Frist Art Museum, Nashville, from October 20, 2023 through January 28, 2024, and the Saint Louis Art Museum from June 22 through September 8, 2024.

This exhibition was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Generous support is provided by the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation.

All exhibitions at LACMA are underwritten by the LACMA Exhibition Fund. Major annual support is provided by Meredith and David Kaplan, with generous annual funding from Kevin J. Chen, Louise and Brad Edgerton, Edgerton Foundation, Emily and Teddy Greenspan, Mary and Daniel James, Justin Lubliner, Jennifer and Mark McCormick, Kelsey Lee Offield, Koni and Geoff Rich, Jen Rubio and Stewart Butterfield, Lenore and Richard Wayne, and Marietta Wu and Thomas Yamamoto.

Image Credit: Vicente Albán, Noble Woman with Her Black Slave (detail), c. 1783, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by the Bernard and Edith Lewin Collection of Mexican Art Deaccession Fund (M.2014.89.1), photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

• Jun 12–Oct 30, 2022
• Resnick Pavilion
• Exhibition Checklist and Didactics (Lista de obras y cedulario) (PDF)
• Archive of the World – Scholar's Day Agenda (PDF)
• Natasha Trethewey Event Listing (PDF)

This exhibition was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Generous support is provided by the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation.

All exhibitions at LACMA are underwritten by the LACMA Exhibition Fund. Major annual support is provided by Meredith and David Kaplan, with generous annual funding from Kevin J. Chen, Louise and Brad Edgerton, Edgerton Foundation, Emily and Teddy Greenspan, Mary and Daniel James, Justin Lubliner, Jennifer and Mark McCormick, Kelsey Lee Offield, Koni and Geoff Rich, Jen Rubio and Stewart Butterfield, Lenore and Richard Wayne, and Marietta Wu and Thomas Yamamoto.

Image Credit: Vicente Albán, Noble Woman with Her Black Slave (detail), c. 1783, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by the Bernard and Edith Lewin Collection of Mexican Art Deaccession Fund (M.2014.89.1), photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Media

In 2019 LACMA acquired a monumental painting by the Bolivian painter Melchor Pérez Holguín, which was restored for the exhibition Archive of the World: Art and Imagination in Spanish America, 1500–1800. Referred to as the “Golden Brush,” Pérez Holguín was regarded as one of the most important painters of Potosí, Bolivia, in his own day and beyond. This stirring painting was designed to invoke piety and arouse the senses, all while appealing to local forms of taste and religiosity. Narrated by the actor Julian Sands, the film documents the painting’s history and restoration, and includes rich commentary by various experts, including LACMA curators and conservators, as well as prominent historians.

—Ilona Katzew, Curator and Department Head of Latin American Art, LACMA

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