Paintings from South America: The Thoma Collection (1600–1800)

This exhibition presents 15 works made by artists in present-day Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia during Spanish colonial rule. One of the largest and longest-lasting European empires, the Spanish realms spanned from South Asia to South America and lasted nearly 500 years. Spanish South American art was a dynamic, unique combination of styles and influences, as European prototypes were translated and adapted by local hands. The paintings and sculptures on view adorned churches and convents across Spanish America, though most of the paintings hung in private homes for personal contemplation and prayer. The works belong to the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Collection, which is committed to promoting the art of the Spanish Americas through scholarship and exhibition of its extensive collection from South America and the Caribbean.