The rooms of the viceregal collection of the National Museum of Art are renovated

The Viceregal collection of the National Museum of Art (Munal) is a window to the lives of the past. The rooms that house this emblematic collection were renovated to reflect a dialogue between the present and the society of that period that was located between the 16th and 18th centuries. There are pieces that were never before available to the public.

On a tour for The Daythe director of this venue, Héctor Palhares Meza, spoke about the updating of these important spaces, which show us the role of religion captured in hagiographies (works that portray the martyrdom of saints), as well as aspects of the life of the bourgeoisie and popular life, and even works by unknown creators that illustrate us about the daily life of that historical period.

We invite you to re-read the work in order to leave behind the tradition of showing only the great viceregal artists, to bring them down to earth and link them with the present. Our goal is for people to also get closer to the unknown artists who captured the popular, of whom we have a large number of pieces never before shown.said Palhares Meza.

The exhibition is made up of 60 works by Sebastián López de Arteaga, Cristóbal de Villalpando, Andrés de Concha, Miguel Cabrera, José de Alcíbar and Diego Domínguez de Sanabria, among others, chosen by both the director of the facility and the chief curator, Ramón Avendaño. In addition, the facility has managed to have all the rooms have descriptions of the pieces with texts in both Spanish and English, due to the increase in foreign tourists.

Hector Palhares assured that this renovation goes hand in hand with the great success of the exhibition Angels, the heavenly hosts on Earthwhich is displayed on the ground floor of this enclosure and contains some works previously exhibited in this viceregal section, such as the Martyrdom of Saint Ceciliapainted by Andrés de Concha between 1575 and 1612.

When we moved the pieces to the ground floor for the temporary exhibition, we took advantage of the opportunity to search our cellars. Many of these pieces were part of the Pinacoteca Virreinal de San Diego, which closed its doors in 2000. They were later acquired by the Munal and placed in safekeeping to be catalogued and restored.the expert said.

Baltasar de Echave Orio and Luis Juárez de Alcaudete were two of the greatest painters of New Spain, as well as pillars of 16th-century art, whose descendants continued with their pictorial work. These images are present in the exhibition, divided into eight modules: Ecstasy and martyrdoms, Seeing is believing, José Juárez and his hagiographies, The double gaze, He who carries Christ, Marian devotions, Walks, dances and soirees, and the True portraits.

Iconic artists

Among the paintings there are true masterpieces by emblematic artists such as Miguel Cabrera, with The Virgin of the Apocalypse (1760) and Sebastian de Arteaga, with the Christ on the Cross (?), among others.

Another of the innovative aspects of this room are the portraits, the one of the viceroy stands out. Duke of Linaresby Juan Rodriguez Juarez, and the oil painting Mrs. Ines de Velasco. It is also The resurrection of Christby Alfonso Lopez de Herrera The Divinepainted in the 17th century and restored in a process that lasted six years.

The public will also be able to admire the gigantic works of José Juárez (1610-1652) such as The holy children Justo and Pastor y The martyrdom of Saint LawrenceThese canvases, which measure between 4 and 6 metres in height, arrived at the museum rolled up and had to be framed inside the same room, which they are supposed to never leave, since they do not fit through the main door or the windows.

The exhibition also included several animations that are projected on eight 50-inch screens, which provide dynamism to the contemplation of paintings by Miguel Cabrera, Sebastián López de Arteaga and others. In addition, part of the symbolism and iconography that was used in the art of the colonial period is explained. This project was awarded the BBVA Bancomer scholarship in 2020.

“Since this renovation, the number of young people entering this room has increased. In recent days, almost 70 or 80 percent of visitors are between 18 and 29 years old. These numbers are not even close to what they were before.

This shows that young people perceive not only the religious aspect of the painting, but also its meaning and symbolism. There is also an interest in learning more about the materials used in these pieces to understand how to extract these types of colors and what their meaning is, and we are excited to welcome new audiences.concluded Hector Palhares excitedly.

The Munal’s viceregal collection can be visited on the second floor of the building, from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The cost of admission is 90 pesos. People with disabilities and Inapam credentials, children under 13 years old, teachers and students with valid credentials enter for free.