LACMA Debuts Major Reinstallation of its Latin American Art Galleries

(Los Angeles, March 19, 2013)–The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) presents a new display of its world-class collection of Latin American art. In the last decade the museum has assembled one of the most extensive holdings of Latin American art in the United States, unique in its range from ancient, Spanish colonial, modern and contemporary art.

When the museum’s department of Latin American art was established in 2006, one of its missions was to build a collection of Spanish colonial art. In the past six years LACMA has acquired more than fifty important works in this area, converting the museum into one of the principal repositories of Spanish colonial art in the United States. Many of these works, including a striking depiction of the iconic Virgin of Guadalupe made with precious inlaid mother-of-pearl, are on view for the first time in the newly installed galleries.

Ilona Katzew, LACMA’s curator and department head of Latin American art commented, “Six years ago there was only one significant work from Spanish America at LACMA; building the collection in this area became one of my top priorities.”

Image credits:

Casta Painting (From Spaniard and Morisca, Albino), 18th century, Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Purchased with funds provided by the Bernard and Edith Lewin Collection of Mexican Art Deaccession Fund, photo © 2013 Museum Associates/LACMA

Juan Patricio Morlete Ruiz, Mexico, 1713-1781, View of the City and Roads of Touton (La villa y rada de Tolon), 1771, Purchased with funds provided by the Bernard and Edith Lewin Collection of Mexican Art Deaccession Fund, photo © 2013 Museum Associates/LACMA

Frederick Walter Davis, Tree Brooch, 1945, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Gift of Penny Morrill, McLean, Virginia, photo © 2013 Museum Associates/LACMA

Miguel González, Virgin of Guadalupe, c. 1698, Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Purchased with funds provided by the Bernard and Edith Lewin Collection of Mexican Art Deaccession Fund, photo © 2013 Museum Associates/LACMA