New Perspectives in Latin American Art, 1930 2006: Selections from a Decade of Acquisitions
Nov 21, 2007–Feb 25, 2008
MoMA
- MoMA, Floor 3, Exhibition GalleriesThe Paul J. Sachs Drawings Galleries
- MoMA, Floor 2, Exhibition GalleriesThe Paul J. Sachs Prints and
Illustrated Books Galleries
This exhibition presents some two hundred works by Latin American artists that have been added to the collection over the past ten years. The works on view embrace several artistic mediums and comprises a variety of styles, from early modernism and geometric abstraction to informalism and conceptual art.
New Perspectives in Latin American Art surveys the wide range of these recent acquisitions and features both historical and contemporary Latin American artists, including Joaquín Torres-García, Alejandro Otero, Hélio Oiticica, Lygia Clark, Lygia Pape, Carmen Herrera, Geraldo de Barros, Leo Matiz, Willys de Castro, León Ferrari, Gego, Gerd Leufert, Mira Schendel, Waltercio Caldas, Anna Maria Maiolino, Victor Grippo, Guillermo Kuitca, Arturo Herrera, Gabriel Orozco, Carlos Garaicoa, and Santiago Cucullu.
The exhibition is organized by Luis Pérez-Oramas, The Estrellita Brodsky Curator of Latin American Art.
MoMA PRESENTS AN EXHIBITION OF LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN ART
ADDED TO THE COLLECTION OVER THE PAST TEN YEARS
Exhibition Includes Over 200 Works of Art, Comprising Paintings, Sculptures, Drawings,
Prints, Photographs, and Media Works
New Perspectives in Latin American Art, 1930–2006:
Selections from a Decade of Acquisitions
The Paul J. Sachs Prints and Illustrated Books Galleries, Second Floor, and
The Paul J. Sachs Drawings Galleries, Third Floor
November 21, 2007–February 25, 2008
New Perspectives in Latin American Art, 1930–2006: Selections from a Decade of Acquisitions presents approximately 200 works by Latin American artists that MoMA has added to its collection over the past ten years. The exhibition includes drawings, illustrated books, media works, paintings, photographs, prints, and sculptures. It embraces a wide diversity of artistic media and comprises a variety of styles.
This presentation emphasizes MoMA’s sharpened focus on Latin American acquisitions since 1996, covering periods and artists that were previously overlooked and offering a more accurate view of the broad and varied range of Latin American modern and contemporary art.
The exhibition is organized by Luis Pérez‑Oramas, The Estrellita Brodsky Curator of Latin American Art at The Museum of Modern Art, and will be on view from November 21, 2007 through February 25, 2008 in The Paul J. Sachs Prints and Illustrated Books Galleries (Second Floor), The Paul J. Sachs Drawings Galleries (Third Floor), and in the hallways and stairway between the two floors.
Exhibition Structure and Highlights
The selection of works in the exhibition spans a chronological timeframe from 1930 to 2006, roughly parallel to the Museum’s lifespan. Works are organized not strictly by chronology or movement but according to themes, stylistic relationships, and visual analogies.
The oldest work in the show is Color Structure (1930), a painting by Joaquín Torres‑García (Uruguay), and the most recent is Architectonic vs. HR (2006), a print series by Santiago Cucullu (Argentina).
The exhibition includes comprehensive presentations of certain artists through prints, drawings, and three‑dimensional objects, notably featuring the works of León Ferrari (Argentina) and Mira Schendel (Brazil) — both of whom will be the subjects of a forthcoming 2009 MoMA exhibition, León Ferrari and Mira Schendel: Written Paintings/Objects of Silence.
For the first time in the Museum’s history, a full spectrum of movements and media associated with early Constructivist trends in Latin America is displayed in a selection of seminal works. Included in these galleries are works by:
- Joaquín Torres‑García (Uruguay)
- Gyula Kosice (Argentina)
- Hélio Oiticica (Brazil)
- Lygia Clark (Brazil)
- Sérgio Camargo (Brazil)
- Willys de Castro (Brazil)
- Gego (Venezuela)
- Gerd Leufert (Venezuela)
- Alejandro Otero (Venezuela)
- Jesús Rafael Soto (Venezuela)
- Carmen Herrera (Cuba)
Curator’s Statement
Mr. Pérez‑Oramas explains:
“This exhibition comes at a time of momentum in Latin American initiatives at the Museum. Created through the newly established Latin American and Caribbean Fund and generous endowments and donations, these resources have enabled new curatorial and research positions and projects in the field. Furthermore, it renews a tradition of presenting Latin American acquisitions that was established by Alfred H. Barr, Jr. in the early 1940s.”
Artistic Connections and Interpretations
While some artists featured in the exhibition — such as Lygia Clark and Hélio Oiticica — are known internationally, others will be new to U.S. audiences. Meaningful connections can be made among artists of different generations and movements. For example:
- Neo‑Constructivists like Oiticica and Kosice resonate with contemporary interests in territoriality, architecture, construction, and the phenomenology of time in the works of:
- Victor Grippo (Argentina)
- Marco Maggi (Uruguay)
- Eugenio Dittborn (Chile)
- Los Carpinteros (Cuba)
- Rivane Neuenschwander (Brazil)
Highlights from the exhibition include:
- Joaquín Torres‑García’s Construction in White and Black (1938) — abstract compositions combining geometric forms with a deep engagement with indigenous art and architecture of the Americas.
- Alejandro Otero’s Ortogonales (Collages) 1–10 (1951–52) — early nonobjective abstraction in the hemisphere, dynamically structured and visually expansive.
- Lygia Clark’s Poetic Shelter (1960) — part of her Bichos series, liberating plane and line through movement.
- Gego’s Drawing without Paper (1988) — three‑dimensional structures that function as spatial drawings.
- Sérgio Camargo’s Orée (1962) — sculptural explorations of relief and pattern.
- Mira Schendel’s Droguinha (c. 1964–66) — knotted rice paper evoking fragile, woven structures.
- León Ferrari’s Reflections (Reflexiones) (1963) — three‑dimensional drawings that embody gestural abstraction and spatial complexity.
In addition, the exhibition highlights artists who incorporate popular imagery and everyday life in their practice, such as:
- Alejandro Xul Solar (Argentina)
- Cildo Meireles (Brazil)
- Enrique Metinides (Mexico)
- Álvaro Barrios (Colombia)
Alongside contemporary productions by:
- Vik Muniz (Brazil)
- Fernando Bryce (Peru)
- Carlos Amorales (Mexico)
- Ernesto Neto (Brazil)
Works in Focus
Examples from the exhibition include:
- Álvaro Barrios’s Popular Prints series (1974–84) — widely distributed prints that engage art historical, cultural, and religious references in surreal compositions.
- Eugenio Dittborn’s Airmail Painting (1983) — kraft paper works mailed and folded repeatedly, emphasizing the passage of time and transience.
Victor Grippo’s Life, Death, Resurrection (1980) — a sculptural installation blending symbolic elements that engage with Latin American conceptualism.
MoMA and Latin American/Caribbean Art
With over 3,000 works, The Museum of Modern Art holds one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of Latin American and Caribbean art, spanning early modernism, figurative expressionism, surrealism, abstraction, and conceptual and contemporary art.
MoMA’s history of collecting from the region dates back to the 1930s, when it became the first institution outside Latin America to systematically collect, display, and study art from the region. This commitment has played an important role in shaping the perception of Latin American and Caribbean art in the United States.
Early champions of Latin American art at MoMA included Alfred H. Barr, the Museum’s founding director, and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, its cofounder. Mrs. Rockefeller’s initial gift included 36 paintings and 105 drawings by key artists such as Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco. The tradition of collecting continued through the twentieth century with important gifts from Nelson and David Rockefeller, and extends today under the leadership of Director Glenn D. Lowry.
Over the past decade, 530 works by Latin American and Caribbean artists have been acquired with the support of benefactors including Kathy Fuld, Agnes Gund, Mimi Haas, Marlene Hess, Patricia Phelps de Cisneros, Anna Marie and Robert Shapiro, and others.
Sponsorship and Public Programs
The exhibition is made possible by Kathy and Richard S. Fuld, Jr., with additional support from the Friends of Contemporary Drawing of The Museum of Modern Art.
Public Programs:
- Works of Art as Objects
Thursday, January 24, 2008, 6:30 p.m.
The Celeste Bartos Theater, 4 West 54 Street
Scholars explore how seminal works and artists revolutionized visual arts in their countries. The panel will be moderated by Luis Pérez‑Oramas.
- Contemporary Poetry from Latin America
Wednesday, February 13, 2008, 6:30 p.m.
Poets respond to works on view as part of MoMA’s Modern Poets series, connecting poetry and visual art.
Visitor Information
- The Museum of Modern Art
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Hours: Wednesday–Monday 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Friday until 8:00 p.m. (closed Tuesdays)
- Admission:
Adults $20; Seniors $16; Students $12; Free for members and children 16 and under
- Contact:
Public Information: 212‑708‑9400 | www.moma.org
