What artists are in the National Museum in Nicaragua?
May 23, 2019 9:14 AM Subscribe
How can I find out what artists were on display in the National Museum in Nicaragua during a particular time? (Alternatively, what 20th century Latin American artists should I know more about?)
I went to Nicaragua several years ago and visited the National Museum. I know next to nothing about Latin American art, but I loved so much of what I saw in the 20th century collection, and I promised myself that afterward I'd visit their website and learn more about the artists whose work was being exhibited. Well, apparently their website leaves something to be desired. And evidently the art collections are mostly rotating, so it seems like it would be hard to figure out who was on display the month I was there.
So: first - am I wrong? Is there a way to figure out what exactly I might have seen? Or do they have a permanent collection that's catalogued somewhere?
If not - where do I start with Latin American art? (Yes, I know, it's an absurdly broad category. I know what I saw was mostly Cuban and Nicaraguan mid-century painters.) Who should I know about?
(What I remember: it was full of big bold graphic colors, political, a little bit Soviet-propaganda-style. Does this get me anywhere?)
I went to Nicaragua several years ago and visited the National Museum. I know next to nothing about Latin American art, but I loved so much of what I saw in the 20th century collection, and I promised myself that afterward I'd visit their website and learn more about the artists whose work was being exhibited. Well, apparently their website leaves something to be desired. And evidently the art collections are mostly rotating, so it seems like it would be hard to figure out who was on display the month I was there.
So: first - am I wrong? Is there a way to figure out what exactly I might have seen? Or do they have a permanent collection that's catalogued somewhere?
If not - where do I start with Latin American art? (Yes, I know, it's an absurdly broad category. I know what I saw was mostly Cuban and Nicaraguan mid-century painters.) Who should I know about?
(What I remember: it was full of big bold graphic colors, political, a little bit Soviet-propaganda-style. Does this get me anywhere?)
Lonely Planet's description of the museum highlights some artist names: "Above the main staircase is a mural of revolutionary movements in the Americas by Mexican artist Arnold Belkin, and there’s also a room tracing 500 years of art (most from the 1970s), with numerous pieces by renowned Nicaraguan artists Armando Morales and Leoncio Saenz, among others."
This overview also lists other important Nicaraguan artists.
posted by vunder at 10:44 AM on May 23, 2019
This overview also lists other important Nicaraguan artists.
posted by vunder at 10:44 AM on May 23, 2019
What eotvos said.
In a best case scenario, they will have institutional museum archives with an archivist on staff who can look at the exhibition lists/catalog from the time period you were there and give you some names. But a lot of museums do not maintain great archives of what was on display when, or even if they do, it may be records in a department that is less, uh, public-facing as many archives are. You might need to contact the registrars office, or various curatorial offices until you find what you're looking for.
posted by mostly vowels at 6:45 PM on May 24, 2019
In a best case scenario, they will have institutional museum archives with an archivist on staff who can look at the exhibition lists/catalog from the time period you were there and give you some names. But a lot of museums do not maintain great archives of what was on display when, or even if they do, it may be records in a department that is less, uh, public-facing as many archives are. You might need to contact the registrars office, or various curatorial offices until you find what you're looking for.
posted by mostly vowels at 6:45 PM on May 24, 2019
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posted by eotvos at 10:11 AM on May 23, 2019