Small Spanish Baroque art exhibition at unexpected venue
Posted by Elena del Valle on January 24, 2025
This article was written without artificial intelligence assisted technologies.
Saint Michael the Archangel Triumphant Over Satan by Mexican Luis Juárez
Photos: Gary Cox
I would not have been surprised to find Splendor and Passion: Baroque Spain and Its Empire, a 57-piece Spanish Baroque exhibition in Spain of course; and in the United States New York City and Miami would readily spring to mind as likely host cities. It was a pleasant surprise to come across it somewhat hidden as a visiting exhibit at the Boca Raton Museum of Art (Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, Florida 33432, https://bocamuseum.org/) in Palm Beach County, Florida.
Virgin of the Immaculate Conception by Spanish painter Fray Alonso López de Herrera
Boca Raton is an easy drive from Miami-Dade and Broward counties, where, according to one of the staff the day of my visit, many attendees drove to see the exhibition and have lunch at Mizner Park, the high end shopping and residential development where the museum is located. It is a tempting idea as the exhibit opens at 11 a.m. most days, except Mondays and Tuesdays when it is closed.
The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, anonymous
Saint Cecilia by Spanish painter Pedro Núñez
I appreciated the availability of metered parking within easy reach of the museum entrance as well as complimentary parking a bit further in a covered garage. I liked the serenity within the well lit museum and intimate experience. Each painting was accompanied by signage in English and Spanish listing the painter’s name and biography, the title of the artwork and medium.
Described as the world premiere of Spain’s Golden Age exhibit, part of the Renaissance and Baroque collection of The Hispanic Society Museum & Library (Broadway between 155th and 156th Streets New York, New York 10032, https://hispanicsociety.org/) in promotional materials the exhibition is scheduled to remain open until March 30, 2025. According to Spainculture.us it is due to be displayed at two additional venues. El Greco (Doménikos Theotokópoulos), Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, and Diego Velázquez are some of the 16th and 17th century artists represented in the exhibition.
