By Luna Lovegood Oct 14, 2004, 3:54 GMT
Sixteen Spanish and American museums, including the Patrimonio Nacional and Museo del Prado, and several private collectors, have loaned works to tell some of the most captivating stories from the Spanish empire. The exhibition's central theme is exploration-how the royal court, beginning with Isabel and Ferdinand, used the enlargement of the Spanish realm not only to increase the crown's resources but also to gather knowledge that enriched European understanding of the wider world.
Co-curated by Chiyo Ishikawa, SAM's chief curator of collections and curator of European painting and sculpture, and Javier Morales of Spain's Patrimonio Nacional, Spain in the Age of Exploration focuses on Spain's historic perception of itself and its global role, starting with Christopher Columbus' 1492 voyage and continuing through the late 18th century, with the royally sponsored expeditions to North America's northwest coast. The most recent works in the exhibition date to 1819, the year of the Adams-Onis treaty, in which Spain ceded control of the Northwest and Florida territories to the U.S. After its debut in Seattle the exhibition will travel to its only other venue, the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Fla., where it will be on view Feb. 2 - May 1, 2005.
Spain in the Age of Exploration explores four primary themes: Image of Empire; Spirituality and Worldliness; Encounters across Cultures; and Science and the Court. The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated scholarly catalog.
For more information on Spain in the Age of Exploration, please call 206-654-3100 or visit www.seattleartmuseum.org.
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