What do a Taino artifact, a painting by Diego Rivera, and a quinceañera dress have in common? They are all physical examples of Latin American culture. What and who is defined as Latino originates from the Latin sphere in North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean. These nations were primarily colonized by Spain and Portugal, and are now independent countries or sovereign territories.
Within the United States, over 20% of the population claims Latino heritage, and there is a growing list of museums that in some way preserve and tell the many histories and cultures of Latin Americans. These institutions fill a void within the mainstream narratives that are told in many American museums, which often prioritize European art and objects. Because of this lack of representation, these institutions take on a hybrid role as both museums that explore history and art, and as cultural centers that offer community-focused events.
Hispanic Society Museum (hispanicsociety.org)
Within the last few decades, multiple Latin-focused museums have been established throughout the United States, mostly in states and cities with large populations. Among the oldest institutions to be founded, and still standing today, is the Hispanic Society Museum in New York City.
Although not all Hispanic people and nations are considered Latino, the museum incorporates art and objects from Latin-heritage countries. Founded in 1904 by magnate and collector Archer Milton Huntington, the museum was established to introduce to the public the art and culture of Spain, Portugal, Latin America, and the Philippines. The collection holds over 18,000 works of art in a range of artistic media like drawing, sculpture, decorative arts, and photographs, from a timeline that spans from the Paleolithic to the 20th century.
The core of the collection was acquired from Huntington, with later donations and acquisitions added, including a significant assemblage of Viceregal Latin American art. Many pieces of the collection have been displayed in the museum’s exhibitions, alongside traveling and on-loan shows.
Also on-site is a research library with over 250,000 documents and literature that dates as far back as the 11th century. A selection of Huntington’s collection and later acquisitions is on view in the new exhibition, A Collection without Borders. On display from now until November 1 in the museum’s Main Court are portraits of religious and secular individuals, alongside more abstract pieces, with decorative objects from the Iberian Peninsula and diaspora.
Also on view will be Esperanza Cortés: Embroidered Allegories from September 3 through November 1, which is the third exhibition in the Hispanic Society’s Arte en el Alto Manhattan series that highlights work by artists in Upper Manhattan. Interdisciplinary artist Cortés uses the Huntington collection as inspiration to create art based on personal histories and narratives of colonialism and cultural heritage.
Art Museum of the Americas (museum.oas.org)
A bit younger than the Hispanic Society Museum is the Art Museum of the Americas (AMA) in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1949 as part of the Visual Arts Unit of the Pan-American Union (now the Organization of American States), it serves as the oldest museum of modern and contemporary Latin American and Caribbean art in the country. Within its collection are over two thousand works that include pieces by renowned mid-century Latin American and Caribbean artists who specialize in artistic styles that include abstract, conceptual, and figurative art.
National Museum of Mexican Art (nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org)
Just a flight away from New York City and Washington DC, is the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. Found in the Pilsen neighborhood, the museum provides historic and contemporary programming focused on Mexican art. The institution was founded in 1982 by current president Carlos Tortolero with a group of educators, and it opened its doors in 1987 as the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum. After a name change and a new 48,000-square-foot facility in the early 2000s, the museum now holds one of the largest collections of Mexican art, boasting more than 22,000 pieces from ancient times to today. It was also the first Latino museum accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and acts as host to numerous cultural and community programs, such as the annual Sor Juana Festival that honors Mexican female accomplishments through performance.
Currently showing at the National Museum of Mexican Art in the Permanent Collection Gallery is the Nuestras Historias: Stories of Mexican Identity from the Permanent Collection. In this ongoing exhibition, the museum shows highlights from its permanent collection and tells diverse and dynamic stories of Mexican identity in North America with art that ranges from ancient Mesoamerica to contemporary times.
Alongside this exhibition is the show Xochicago, which is available to see until October 4. The show is a collaboration between the museum and the environmental nonprofit Urban Rivers that explores the comparisons between chinampas built by the Mexica (Aztec) and floating gardens installed in Chicago through historic and contemporary images.
El Museo del Barrio (elmuseo.org)
Like the National Museum of Mexican Art, El Museo del Barrio in New York City highlights the art and culture of a specific region in Latin America. Through its bilingual programming, exhibitions, and collections, the museum works to preserve the art and culture of Puerto Rico, alongside other Latin American communities in the United States. The museum was founded in 1969 by artist Raphael Montañez Ortiz and other Puerto Rican parents’ activists, who found the artistic representation of their community lacking in traditional institutions. El Museo del Barrio has evolved to hold around 8,500 objects made from mediums like drawing, sculpture, and painting from over 800 years of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latin history.
On view now until November 15 is the show Octopus & Others: Acts of Collaboration & Poetics that explores the making of the Octopus sculpture, an outdoor book in accordion form that is composed of four-foot plywood panels. Originally made in 1982, each page was crafted by an artist or poet from the north or south sides of Manhattan. In addition is the Teddy Sandoval and the Butch Gardens School of Art show on view until January 10. The exhibition gives notice to the life and work of artist Teddy Sandoval, who explored the social and cultural movements of the United States and Latin America in the 1970s through the 1990s.
Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) (molaa.org)
Founded in 1996 in Long Beach’s East Village Arts District East Village Arts District, the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) is dedicated to preserving modern and contemporary Latin American and Latino art. Its permanent collection holds over 1,300 works of art and offers a 15,000-square-foot sculpture garden.
Visitors can see an assortment of contemporary art currently on view at MOLAA. Among what is offered is Mercedes Gertz: Reading the Invisible, which highlights two decades of Mercedes Gertz’s work, who was born in Mexico City and now lives in California. Divided into 13 sections, the exhibition explores issues like patriarchy and power through a humorous perspective. Also displayed are shows featuring the art of Chilean-born artist Guillermo Bert and multidisciplinary artist Antonio Romero, who hails from El Salvador.
National Museum of the American Latino (latino.si.edu)
When the United States Congress voted to create the National Museum of the American Latino in 2020, it established an institution in Washington, D.C. that will serve as a permanent home for preserving Latino history and culture for American citizens. Although there is yet a building to be erected in its place, donations can be made at the museum’s website; curators have been acquiring objects to develop its permanent collections. As the public waits, visitors can see related exhibitions, digital initiatives, and programming at the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History.
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