A Collection Without Borders

This exhibition at the Hispanic Society brings together a selection of works from the museum’s permanent collection that celebrates the arts and cultures of Spain, Portugal, Latin America, Goa, and the Philippines.

Many of these works were acquired by the Hispanic Society’s founder, Archer Milton Huntington (1870–1955) in the early twentieth century, while others were acquired through purchase or donation after his death in 1955.

Many of these works were acquired by the Hispanic Society’s founder, Archer Milton Huntington (1870–1955) in the early twentieth century, while others were acquired through purchase or donation after his death in 1955. This exhibition takes place in the museum’s Main Gallery, designed by architect Charles Pratt Huntington (1871–1919) under the direction of the museum’s founder. It includes works by El Greco (1541–1614), Diego Velázquez (1599–1660), Francisco de Zurbarán (1598–1164), Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617–1682), Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (1746–1828), and Antoni Tàpies (1923–2012), as well as artists from (or active in) Latin America and the Philippines, including Baltasar Echave Ibia (c. 1583–c. 1650), Agustin Arrieta (1803–1874), Miguel Vila Viladrich (1887–1956), and Fernando Zobel (1924–1984).

The exhibition also contains highlights from the museum’s decorative arts and sculpture collection from the Iberian Peninsula, Mexico, South America, and Asia, as well as a sculpture by seventeenth-century Spanish artist Luisa Roldán (1652–1706). While many of these works are well-known, others are exhibited here for the first time.

Over a century after its founding, the Hispanic Society continues to build upon Huntington’s vision through the acquisition of new art and the development of new exhibitions and educational programs. The diverse holdings of the Hispanic Society’s permanent collection reflect the enterprising achievements of its founder, who established this institution as an oasis of Hispanic culture in the United States. He went to great lengths to ensure that the collection would be used not only for scholarly research, but also remain accessible to the general public.