In Residence: The Hispanic Society Sorollas

1902: Señora de Sorolla in a Spanish Mantilla Artist: Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish, 1863 - 1923) Image courtesy of The Hispanic Society Museum & Library

New York, NY — May 2026— The Hispanic Society Museum & Library (HSM&L) and Sotheby’s are pleased to announce In Residence: The Hispanic Society Sorollas, on view at Sotheby’s headquarters in New York’s historic Breuer building from May 18 – June 1, 2026. This exhibition marks the first collaboration between the two institutions and inaugurates Sotheby’s newly established In Residence series, an initiative designed to provide leading museums, from the U.S. and beyond, with a centrally located, prestigious platform for the exhibition of masterworks from their collections, thereby increasing visibility for the museums and providing greater public access to major works of art. This initiative coincides with Sotheby’s recent move to the Breuer building on Madison Avenue, formerly home of the Whitney Museum of American Art.

At the center of the presentation are three exceptional paintings by Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (1863 – 1923), drawn from the Hispanic Society’s renowned holdings, the largest collection of the artist’s work outside of Spain. The exhibition includes Sea Idyll (1909), a luminous and immersive beach scene; Louis Comfort Tiffany (1911), a rare portrait of the American designer set within his Long Island garden; and Señora de Sorolla in a Spanish Mantilla (1902), an intimate portrayal of the artist’s wife.

Together, these works reflect Sorolla’s extraordinary ability to move fluidly between landscape and portraiture, capturing light, movement, and modern life with unmatched vitality.

“This collaboration with Sotheby’s represents a meaningful opportunity for us to raise awareness about the Hispanic Society Museum & Library’s mission, collection, and activity in New York City and beyond,” says Guillaume Kientz, Director and CEO of the Hispanic Society Museum & Library. “Presenting Sorolla’s works at the Breuer building fits the unique history of this U.S. landmark, from its initial time as the Whitney to recent occupancies by the Metropolitan Museum and the Frick Collection. We are excited and humbled to follow their footsteps in offering together with Sotheby’s a new dialogue between a museum collection and this glorious architecture.”

This presentation coincides with a pivotal moment for the Hispanic Society Museum & Library. In 2026, the institution marks the centenary of the installation of Sorolla’s monumental mural cycle, Vision of Spain, a landmark achievement commissioned by founder Archer M. Huntington and installed in 1926. The anniversary will be celebrated through new programming, including a public kiosk exhibition on Audubon Terrace featuring letters, sketches, and preparatory studies related to the murals.

The exhibition also aligns with the Hispanic Society’s broader international vision, including the launch of The Hispanic Society of America València – Colección Sorolla, a major initiative that will bring over 200 works by Sorolla from the museum’s collection to Valencia, the artist’s native city, beginning in September 2026.

The presentation of Señora de Sorolla in a Spanish Mantilla offers a preview of the Hispanic Society’s upcoming exhibition, The Mantilla: Interlacing Identities, which will explore the history of this distinctive garment of Spanish women’s fashion, stretching from the 16th century to the present day. The exhibition, which opens at the Hispanic Society in November 2026, will feature Señora de Sorolla in a Spanish Mantilla alongside other paintings, prints, textiles, and decorative arts from the collection.

Installed within Sotheby’s galleries, In Residence: The Hispanic Society Sorollas creates a compelling dialogue between institutional and commercial contexts, offering a new model for short-term museum loans and expanding public access to significant works of art. The presentation also serves as an invitation for audiences to engage more deeply with the Hispanic Society’s collection and its campus in Washington Heights.

Christy Coombs, Sotheby's Head of Museum and Corporate Art Group, added: “Building on the institutional legacy of the Breuer Building, In Residence highlights our commitment to presenting extraordinary collections to a public audience. We welcome the opportunity to draw upon our deep museum partnerships to showcase incredible objects from esteemed institutions in this iconic space. When we conceived of this concept, we naturally approached the Hispanic Society as our inaugural presenting partner, given their significant holdings of exquisite art and objects, and we are thrilled to launch with an exhibition of these three incredible Sorollas.”

Exhibition Details

Title: In Residence: The Hispanic Society Sorollas

Location: Sotheby’s New York, 945 Madison Avenue

Dates: May 18 – June 1, 2026

Admission: Free and open to the public

Sotheby's The Hispanic Society Museum & Library

Hispanic Museum & LibraryMuseum

Founded in 1904 by the American scholar, philanthropist, and collector Archer M. Huntington, the Hispanic Society Museum & Library houses one of the world’s premier collections of art from Spain, Portugal, Latin America, and the Philippines. Located in a historic Beaux-Arts building on Audubon Terrace in the dynamic Washington Heights neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, the Hispanic Society is home to over half a million objects spanning thousands of years of art history across three continents. Unparalleled in scope and quality, the collection includes works by Baroque and early modern masters like El Greco, Diego Velázquez, Luisa Roldán, and Francisco de Goya; visionary 20th century artists like Joaquín Sorolla, and major figures from Latin America such as Sebastián López de Arteaga, Juan Rodríguez Juárez, Agustin Arrieta, and José Clemente Orozco, along with extensive collections of antiquities, Islamic art, Judaica, ceramics, textiles, and decorative arts. The Hispanic Society’s library is one of the most important centers for research on Hispanic art and culture, containing an extraordinary array of rare books and manuscripts, including a 1526 map of the world and a first edition of Don Quixote. The library is open to the public by appointment. The Hispanic Society is committed to giving voice to Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking communities and cultures in New York, throughout the United States, and across the world. As an active member of the Washington Heights community, the Hispanic Society regularly hosts concerts, lectures, and tours, and invites contemporary artists and community members to dialogue with the collection. Through its ambitious special exhibitions, a world-class permanent collection, innovative educational programming, dedicated support of living artists, and advanced research initiatives, the Hispanic Society continues to reimagine the potential for a museum and its ability to lead meaningful change.