The Hispanic Society of America
by Averlyn Archer
I’d been looking around the neighborhood for something new when I read somewhere about the Hispanic Society of America. The Society was founded as a free museum and research library by Archer Milton Huntington in 1904 to promote the cultural traditions and artistic heritage of mainly Spain, Portugal and Latin America, as well documenting their influence throughout the world.
One of the more notable parts of the museum is a room off the Main Court that was created for the works of Valencian artist Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida. Given a contract by Huntington to decorate the room, Sorolla crisscrossed the provinces of Spain to capture the imagery he would then reproduce in his art. The vibrant colors celebrating traditional clothing for Holy Week, others depicting the procession leading up to the bullfight and the weekly hog market, and still another illustrating fishermen with a days catch weave a rich tapestry of life in the provinces in the early 1900s when these works were painted. The fourteen murals ravish the senses, transporting you into the rich history and culture of Spain.
While I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t make it over to the Hispanic Society to say goodbye to the Sorolla murals, a visit to this museum (whose holdings include paintings by El Greco, Velázquez and Ribera) is worth the trip on any day. The Hispanic Society is located on Audubon Terrace, Broadway between 155 and 156 Streets. For more information about planning your trip to the Hispanic Society, go to http://www.hispanicsociety.org/ or call (212) 926-2234.
Averlyn Archer is the Curator and Director of Canvas Paper and Stone Gallery located in Harlem, New York. More of this article can be found at http://www.canvaspaperandstone.com/feature/article_2-7_hispanicsociety.htm
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This Center is not new (its 4 years old) but it would be great to profile it. Call the Community Relations Department
http://ralphlaurencenter.org/