‘A very accessible exhibit’
Replicas of 92 masterpieces to be displayed Downtown on Civic Plaza
Las Meninas” by Diego Velázquez. “The Garden of Earthly Delights” by Hieronymus Bosch.
“David with the Head of Goliath” by Caravaggio.
Each piece is iconic in its own right.
The artists were ahead of their time when it came to representation in the art world.
To view these masterworks in person, one would have to travel abroad to either Spain or Italy.
With the help of the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid, Spain, New Mexicans will be able to view replicas on display in Civic Plaza beginning today, bringing Prado to the people.
“The Prado requires the exhibit to be provided to the pub- lic for free and it be outdoors,” said Chris O’Donnell, Sawmill District brand manager for Heritage Hotels and Resorts Inc. “There have been moments where
people get so moved by it. This is a very accessible exhibit.”
The traveling exhibit displays 92 Prado masterpieces through Aug. 31.
Reproduced on vinyl, details of each work is displayed in a metal case, which is a 1-to-1 ratio. This means what is seen is set to the original scale. Underneath is a full representation of the painting and an explanation of the art.
“There is often a tension between people that only want to present originals and this idea of sharing reproductions,” said Shelle Sanchez, director of Cultural Services for the city of Albuquerque. “This is a tension that always has to be attended to. In this setting, I love to share the works and see people walking through the exhibit. It’s pretty amazing.”
With a collection of more than 20,000 paintings, prints and drawings, and 1,000 sculptures — some dating to the 12th century — Museo Nacional del Prado is widely considered one of the finest art museums in the world and without a doubt houses the best collection of Spanish art.
The traveling exhibit was on display at Cathedral Park in Santa Fe from May to Oct. 29, 2017.
“The Prado saw the success of it up (in Santa Fe) and they permitted us to license it to other cities,” O’Donnell said. “The city of Albuquerque heard about it and wanted to host it here.”
The exhibition in New Mexico has been by the efforts of James Long, founder and CEO of Heritage Hotels & Resorts, who is a New Mexico native.
In 2012, he was named an international trustee of the Prado Museum Foundation, according to his profile on the Heritage Hotels website.
O’Donnell says the art speaks for itself in the exhibit.
“In Santa Fe, there was a beautiful thing that happened in this exhibit,” O’Donnell said. “Artists would bring out their sketch pads and would just sit in front of a piece and sketch. Some were sketching the exhibit itself, others found their favorite piece.”
Albuquerque is planning two unconventional public showings on June 21 and Aug. 7.
The first will have 15 artists and poets standing near their favorite work of art.
“It will be a self-guided tour and you can stop at a piece and talk with an artist or poet,” Sanchez said. “Then in August, we’re going to do the same thing with community leaders and academics. This is our version of a docent tour. It will be really fun for people to start a conversation about beautiful and iconic art.”
O’Donnell said the city has a plan to keep the displays clean and secured.
After its run in Albuquerque, there are plans to take it to Las Cruces.