Claremont, CA—The Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College is proud to announce the museum’s very first exhibition of Latin American art from the viceregal period. Gilded, Carved, and Embossed: Latin American Art 1500–1800 / Dorado, Tallado y Embellecido: Arte Latinoamericano de 1500–1800 is also the Benton’s first bilingual presentation of an exhibition. On view from February 22 to July 23, 2023, the exhibition showcases how Indigenous artists in what is now Central and South America absorbed and transformed European subjects and art forms in the service of spreading Catholicism. Artists of this period created paintings and sculptures of dazzling materiality and crosscultural iconography.
“We are delighted to present exemplary works from this chapter in art history that is so often overlooked. It is important to the Benton to bring these narratives to our academic communities and our greater Los Angeles neighbors,” said Victoria Sancho Lobis, Sarah Rempel and Herbert S. Rempel ’23 Director of the Benton and curator of the exhibition. “Works from this period are testaments to aesthetic adaptation as well as sites where cultural forces collide and negotiate. With José Clemente Orozco’s first U.S. mural Prometheus residing on our campus, it is only natural that we would extend our commitment to Latin American and Latinx art to its full historical range.”
Gilded, Carved, and Embossed / Dorado, Tallado y Embellecido features more than 20 works, including two recent acquisitions by the Benton and generous loans from the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Foundation and Robert Simon Fine Art. Together they reveal the dynamics underlying the production of art in Central and South America as Catholicism was forced upon Indigenous populations. The mix of Indigenous culture and European representational systems led to a distinctive iconography that was an amalgam of both; new religious subjects wore the guises of traditional Indigenous life, and traditional figures were adapted into the visual language of Catholicism.
Underscoring these crosscurrents is a celebration of materials and materiality. Artists adorned their paintings and sculpture with floral garlands, gold brocade, and elaborate carvings to punctuate the significance of their work and elevate the religious subject matter. Gold leaf, silver, and copper take their place next to oil paint, canvas, and wood panels as artists synthesized and crafted new visual vocabularies.
The exhibition, new acquisitions, and bilingual treatment embody the Benton’s goal of accessibility and presenting historically marginalized narratives to expanding audiences. Gilded, Carved, and Embossed / Dorado, Tallado y Embellecido is the first chapter in what will be a sustained examination and presentation of this important chapter of art history.
About the Exhibition
The exhibition is curated by Victoria Sancho Lobis, Sarah Rempel and Herbert S. Rempel ’23 Director and associate professor of art history, with contributions by Sabina Eastman PZ ’23, Elisabeth Lootus PO ’25, Alexa Ramirez PO ’25, and Claire Nettleton, academic curator.
Support for this exhibition has been provided by the Eva Cole and Clyde Matson Memorial Fund and The Rembrandt Club of Pomona College and Claremont.
About the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College
Now housed in the new Benton Museum of Art designed by Machado Silvetti and Gensler, Pomona College’s collection of art numbers 17,000 objects, including Italian Renaissance paintings from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation; works on paper, including a first edition print series by Francisco Goya given by Norton Simon; and works in various media produced in Southern California in the twentieth century. In keeping with Pomona College’s reputation as a leading center of the visual arts, the collection also includes works by such esteemed alumni as Chris Burden ’69, Marcia Hafif ’51, Helen Pashgian ’56, Peter Shelton ’73, and James Turrell ’65. Recognized globally for its commitment to contemporary art, the museum is the home of The Project Series, which has featured more than 50 contemporary Southern California artists since it began in 1999. Through its collaboration with students and faculty, the museum encourages active learning and creative exploration across all disciplines of study within the liberal arts context.