Retratos: 2,000 Years of Latin American Portraits

Monday, 31 October 2005 11:47

WASHINGTON, DC.-The Smithsonian’s International Gallery hosts the exhibition “Retratos: 2,000 Years of Latin American Portraits,” a groundbreaking exhibition exploring Latin American art and history through portraits. “Retratos” comprises approximately 115 paintings and sculptures culled from the holdings of leading museums across Latin America, Europe and the United States, as well as from private collections. The traveling exhibition is the centerpiece of a major international project which includes extensive education materials, innovative outreach programs, and a Web site. “Retratos” is organized by the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; the San Antonio Museum of Art; and El Museo del Barrio in New York City. The exhibition features works by artists ranging from ancient Mayans to contemporary Latin American and Latino individuals garnering international recognition today. It is divided into five chronological sections: Pre-Columbian, Viceregal, Independence, Modern and Contemporary. “Retratos” will be at the Smithsonian’s International Gallery. Most of the works featured in “Retratos” have never before been shown in the United States. Among the artists represented in the exhibition are Antonio Berni (Argentinean), Fernando Botero (Colombian), José Campeche (Puerto Rican), José Gil de Castro (Peruvian), Oswaldo Guayasamín (Ecuadorian), Frida Kahlo (Mexican), Anita Malfatti (Brazilian), Armando Reverón (Venezuelan), Diego Rivera (Mexican), David Alfaro Siqueiros (Mexican) and Rufino Tamayo (Mexican). “Retratos " presents works representing more than 15 countries in Latin America and includes loans from private collections and institutions around the world, such as Mexico’s National Museum of Art; Chile’s National Museum of History; Peru’s National Museum of Anthropology and History; the Museum of Art of Ponce, Puerto Rico; and Madrid’s Museum of America. The exhibition offers visitors an unprecedented opportunity to explore the vibrant tradition of portraiture in Latin America through the faces of indigenous leaders; Spanish viceroys; bold revolutionaries; ordinary women, children and men; cloistered nuns; scholars; and world-renowned Latin American artists. The team of scholars developing the exhibition worked closely with leading museums around the world and high-level diplomats to secure loans for “Retratos.” Cultural attachés in the United States, embassy representatives and the cultural leadership within Latin American governments collaborated to encourage museums to lend major paintings and other important works. “The National Portrait Gallery is proud to be a co-organizer and presenter of ‘Retratos: 2,000 Years of Latin American Portraits,’” says NPG Director Marc Pachter. “A dazzling exhibition, it underscores the commitment of the museum and Ford Motor Company Fund to affirm our nation’s interest in the rich cultures of the Americas. Given the strength of the bilingual community in the Washington region, we are pleased to make many of our educational materials and activities available in Spanish as well as English.”

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