Wednesday, July 23, 2008

New collection of santos on display in Santa Fe

An exhibition, "Treasures of Devotion/Tesoros de Devoción," will illustrate the distinctive tradition of santo making in New Mexico introduced by settlers from Mexico. It's a long-term exhibit at the Palace of the Governors-New Mexico History Museum.

Finding themselves living in isolated and remote villages in Northern New Spain, far removed from their homeland, their spiritual needs changed. The local santero responded, evolving the art form from the Spanish baroque imagery popular in New Spain, principally Mexico City, into their own innovative styles.

The exhibition contains bultos, retablos and crucifijos, dating from the late 1700s to 1900. They demonstrate how European stylistic traditions and iconography were combined with new palettes, different styles, and distinctive regional decorative designs that transformed New Mexican santo making into a unique hybrid. Highlighting the exhibit will be esoteric pieces such as the Crucifixion in a Large Nicho by Laguna santero and La Santísima Trinidad, a wood retablo with an applied paper painting of the Holy Trinity.

The pieces in "Treasures of Devotion/Tesoros de Devoción" show the diverse artistic responses that occurred as santeros answered the demand from their respective communities to bring devotional images into their churches, homes, and lives. The bultos, retablos, and crucifijos presented reveal a visual documentation of New Mexico's cultural heritage.

The exhibit, once part of the private collection of Mr. and Mrs. Larry Frank, was recently purchased by the New Mexico Legislature for the museum in order to preserve New Mexico's cultural heritage. It is one of the defining traditional art forms of the region and a source of pride and identity for New Mexican Hispanics.

"The recent acquisition of the Larry Frank Collection of santos, retablos and tinwork greatly enriches the existing collection of the New Mexico History Museum," said Cultural Affairs Secretary Stuart Ashman. "The Tesoros exhibition at the Palace will showcase this wonderful artwork while offering museum visitors the opportunity to better understand and appreciate New Mexico's cultural legacy."

Dr. Frances Levine, director of the museum, said in a news release, "The Frank Collection represents the works of masters of the New Mexico santero tradition. Our commitment is to make this work accessible to the public through exhibitions, public programs, and on-line educational resources."

Josef Diaz, curator of Southwest and Mexican Colonial Collections, said: "Visitors will find 'Treasures of Devotion/Tesoros de Devoción' a rare view of the cultural heritage and a visually dramatic documentation of New Mexico's cultural history. The Palace of the Governors is privileged to offer the public this opportunity to see this outstanding collection of devotional art."

The Palace of the Governors, built from 1609 to 1610, is the state history museum for New Mexico and is housed in the oldest continuously occupied public building in the United States. The museum's collection of more than 17,000 historical objects documents the Spanish Colonial, Mexican, American Territorial, and recent eras in New Mexico history.

Items date from the time of the earliest Spanish explorations in the 16th century and chronicle 223 years of Spanish administrative control, 25 years as part of Mexico, 66 years as a territory of the United States, and from statehood in 1912 to the present. It is located on the Plaza in Santa Fe at 105 West Palace Avenue. Call 505-476-5100 for more information, or visit www.palaceofthegovernors.org. Hours through Labor Day are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday. It is also open free on Fridays from 5 to 8 p.m., with the exception of major exhibition openings.

Admission price is free for children age 16 and under, and free for New Mexico residents on Sundays and to resident senior citizens age 60 and up on Wednesdays. .Single visit for residents is $6. Special group rates are available for 10 or more people.

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