Museo de Arte de Ponce
![]() Exterior view of the museum | |
Established | 1959 |
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Location | Ponce, Puerto Rico |
Type | Art museum |
Accreditation | American Alliance of Museums |
Key holdings | -Flaming June -The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon |
Collections | Baroque Pre-Raphaelite Golden Age Latin American art Puerto Rican art |
Collection size | 4,500 pieces (2010)[1] |
Visitors | 90,000 (2010)[2] |
Director | Alejandra Peña Gutiérrez |
President | María Luisa Ferré Rangel[3] |
Owner | Private: Fundación Luis A. Ferré, Inc. |
Public transit access | SITRAS, "Linea Anaranjada" (Orange Line): Buses E, F, G (Museo stop) |
Website | museoarteponce |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Museo_de_Arte_de_Ponce%2C_Barrio_Canas_Urbano%2C_Ponce%2C_Puerto_Rico%2C_mirando_hacia_el_norte.jpg/220px-Museo_de_Arte_de_Ponce%2C_Barrio_Canas_Urbano%2C_Ponce%2C_Puerto_Rico%2C_mirando_hacia_el_norte.jpg)
Museo de Arte de Ponce (MAP), is an art museum located on Las Americas Avenue (PR-133) in Ponce, Puerto Rico.[4][5][6][7] It is considered the finest art museum in Puerto Rico.[8] It houses a collection of European art,[5] as well as work by Puerto Rican artists. The largest art museum in the Caribbean,[9] it has also been called one of the best in the Americas.[10][11][12] The museum contains one of the most important Pre-Raphaelite collections in the Western Hemisphere,[13] holding some 4,500 pieces of art[1][14] distributed among fourteen galleries.[15] It was the first and, until 2013,[note 1] the only museum in Puerto Rico accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.[16] [14] It was founded by industrialist and philanthropist Luis A. Ferré, and its current building was officially inaugurated on December 28, 1965. It was significantly enlarged in 2010 after a $30M expansion. The museum has been called "world class".[17]
History
The project of the museum began in 1956 when Luis A. Ferré traveled to Europe and acquired various European art pieces, including many pre-Raphealite works, which encouraged him to start a project for a museum in the city of Ponce, his birthplace. With the advice of two experts - Julius S. Held, specialist on Rubens and professor of Art History at Barnard College and Columbia University, and René Taylor, art and architecture enthusiast and professor at the University of Granada, Yale, and Columbia - Ferré compiled a collection of works of art based on their value instead of their popularity.[18] Ferré would state in a Forbes interview that "the scholars and critics all called it kitsch, everyone thought I was crazy to buy them."[19]
On January 3, 1959, Ferré opened the museum in a small wooden house at Cristina Street in Ponce originally with 72 works of art,[11] at what is today the Centro Cultural de Ponce (Ponce Cultural Center). Some of these original paintings are still on display in the current museum. As time passed and the museum gained popularity, more pieces of art were either donated to and acquired by the Museum. In 1962, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation donated 15 paintings to the museum.[11] By 1989, the museum's collection had grown to 500 pieces, with a then estimated value of $50 million,[12] equivalent to $123 million in present day terms.
Current museum
Fearing a fire in the Cristina Street building would destroy its collections, Ferré acquired a tract of land on Las Americas Avenue in Ponce to build the current museum, and recruited architect Edward Durell Stone for its design.[11] On April 23, 1964 the first stone was placed and the construction of the museum began. It was finished in 1965 and officially opened on December 28, 1965. One of the main features of the museum is its hexagonal galleries, which allow natural light to enter through its corners bringing a illumination to exhibitions. The museum contained a total of 14 galleries, two gardens, and an amphitheater, and its main entrance with bifurcated ladders.
Pinceladas en Vuelo (Brushstokes in Flight), a 28-foot-high aluminum structure created in 1984 by New York sculptor Roy Lichtenstein sits on the front yard of the museum, which was then considered "the largest public [display art] work in Latin America and the Caribbean."[1]
The museum was closed from 2008 to 2010 while undergoing renovations, re-opening in time for the celebration of its 50th anniversary on November 13, 2010, after a $30 million in improvements.[1][20][21] In the meantime, the museum held exhibitions in San Juan's Plaza Las Américas, and loaned some of its best pieces out to traveling exhibitions at fine arts institutions throughout the world.[22][23][24] The construction work was both a renovation of the existing structure and an expansion, increasing the size of the museum by more than 40%.[25][26] The $20-turn-$30 million renovation also included a new building to house a historic archive and a library.[27]
The new 37,745-square-foot (3,506.6 m2) annex to the museum’s main building houses an educational space, a library specializing in art history, the Don Luis A. Ferré Archives, a laboratory for the conservation of artworks, an artwork storage area, museum shop, a restaurant, and administrative offices.[14] After the expansion the total square footage of the museum came to 77,745 square feet.[28] The expansion allowed the museum to accommodate facilities for educational purposes, an art history library, a museum shop, and a restaurant.[29]
The thoroughfare on which the museum is located, a major road artery in Ponce, was renamed the "Luis A. Ferré Boulevard" in honor of the founder of the museum.[30][31]
Artworks
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8d/Flaming_June%2C_by_Frederic_Lord_Leighton_%281830-1896%29.jpg/220px-Flaming_June%2C_by_Frederic_Lord_Leighton_%281830-1896%29.jpg)
The Museo de Arte de Ponce houses the most important collection of European art in Latin America, [32][11] with the Financial Times of London claiming that the museum holds "one of the most distinguished private collections in the Western Hemisphere outside the United States."[12] It has an important collection of almost 4,000 pieces of art that range from the 14th to the 20th century, Italian Baroque, British Pre-Raphaelite, Spanish Golden Age and contemporary Latin-American art.
Some of the artists whose paintings and works are exhibited at the museum are Peter Paul Rubens, Lucas Cranach, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Eugène Delacroix, and Sir Edward Burne-Jones, among others. The main masterpiece of the museum is the Flaming June, painted by Frederic Leighton. Ferré bought this piece for $6,000 in London, and it was his favorite.[33]
The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon, the final masterpiece and crowning achievement of Sir Edward Burne-Jones is another of the main pieces of the museum's collection, originally acquired by Ferré for just 1,600 British guineas in 1963.[34] The enormous painting was started in 1881 and left unfinished at the artist's death in 1898. In 2009, both Flaming June and The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon were loaned to Tate Britain while the museum underwent a two-year refurbishment.[34] Other paintings were loaned to the Museo del Prado in Madrid.[35]
"Equally important is the Puerto Rican art collection, which ranges from the 18th century to the present day and includes great masters such as José Campeche, Francisco Oller, Miguel Pou, as well as the best contemporary talent such as Myrna Báez, Francisco Rodón, Antonio Martorell and Arnaldo Roche Rabell, among others."[36]
The museum has also housed several expositions of some of the best and most renowned artists of the world. In March 2006, the museum exhibited the work of renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
The Museum charges a small admission fee to the public, but most revenues come from substantial donations made by Puerto Rican individuals and business. Some have made single donations for the sole purpose of acquiring art to be exhibited in the museum, while others donate for the maintenance and operational expenditures of the museum. A bronze plaque placed in the front entrance and next to the information booth recognizes these donors.
Gallery
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Exterior front facade, looking northeast
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Partial exterior Front facade, looking northwest
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Night view of the former entrance and one of the upper level galleries, looking north
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Edward Burne-Jones - The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon (detail)
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Abraham Janssens - The Virgin and Child with St. John the Baptist
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Angelica Kauffman - Judgement of Paris
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Anthony van Dyck - Saint Rosalia interceding for the city of Palermo
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Bartholomeus van der Helst - Portrait of a Gentleman
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Bartolomé Esteban Murillo - Immaculate Conception of the Mirror
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Benjamin West - The Resurrection
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Bernardo Strozzi - Doubting Thomas
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Biagio d'Antonio - Madonna and Child with an angel
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Biagio d'Antonio - The Archangel Raphael with Tobias
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Burne-Jones - Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon v2
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Burne-Jones - Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon
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Cardenal Gaspar de Borja y Velasco
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Charles Le Brun - Venus clipping Cupid's wings
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Charles Mellin - Assumption of the Virgin
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Claude Lorrain - Landscape of a port
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Claudio Coello - Susana and the elders
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Cristóbal Hernández de Quintana - Virgen de la Candelaria
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Daniel Vosmaer - The Harbour of Delft - WGA25336
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Dante Gabriel Rossetti - The Roman widow (Dîs Manibus)
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David Teniers II - The Temptation of St. Anthony
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Edward Burne-Jones - The Prince Enters the Briar Wood (Little Briar Rose series)
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Edward Burne-Jones - The king and his court (serie Little Briar Rose)
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Edward Burne-Jones - The last sleep of Arthur
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Edward Coley Burne-Jones - Drapery study for Queen Morgana le Fay next to the head of King Arthur
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Edward Coley Burne-Jones - The Sleeping Beauty (Little Briar Rose series)
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Elisabetta Sirani - Head of Christ
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Frederic Leighton - Flaming June
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Follower of Duccio - Virgin with Saint John and Saint Peter
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Ford Madox Brown - Jacob and Joseph's coat
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Francesco Furini - Cephalus and Aurora
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Francesco Granacci - Madonna and Child with St. John the Baptist (Rest on the Flight into Egypt)
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Francisco de Goya - Portrait of Martín Zapater
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Francisco de Zurbarán - The Crucifixion
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Francisco Oller - Hacienda Aurora
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Francisco Oller - La Batalla de Trevino
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Francisco Oller - La ceiba de Ponce
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Frans Floris I - El despertar de las Artes
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Frederic Edwin Church - Amanecer en el trópico
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Frederick Sandys - Isolda con la poción de amor
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Gaspare Traversi - The Seduction
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Giampietrino - San Juan Bautista
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Giovanni Battista Gaulli - La muerte de Adonis
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Giovanni Battista Langetti - The Torture of Ixion
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Giovanni Boccati (atrib.) - Portrait of a Friar
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Giovanni del Biondo - Hebrew Prophet (2)
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Giovanni del Biondo - Hebrew Prophet
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Gustave Courbet - Lago en las montañas
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Gustave Doré - El sueño de la esposa de Pilato
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Gustave Moreau - Dalila
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Hendrik Willem Mesdag - Mañana en Scheveningen
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Henri Lebasque - Una joven en el bosque
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Jacopo di Cione - Anunciación con mecenas
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James Tissot - En el Louvre (L’Esthetique)
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Jean-Léon Gérôme - El rey Candaules
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Joaquín Sorolla - Female Nude
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John Everett Millais - La huida de una hereje, 1559
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Joos van Cleve - La huida a Egipto
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Joseph-Marie Vien - Greek Woman at the Bath
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José Campeche - Dama a caballo
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José Campeche - Doña María Catalina de Urrutia
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José Campeche - Retrato de un letrado eclesiástico
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José de Ribera - San Pablo
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Konstantin Makovsky - Escogiendo la novia
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Luca di Tommè - Madona con Niño en el trono
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Luca Giordano - La muerte de Séneca
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Luca Giordano - San Lucas pintando a la Virgen
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Lucas Cranach I - Judith con la cabeza de Holofernes
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Ludovico Mazzolino - God the Father
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Master of St. Anna - Madonna and Child with saints and donors
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Master of the Perticaja Triptych - Virgin with Infant Jesus
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Pacino di Bonaguida (circle) - Crucifix (fragment)
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Paolo Schiavo - The Flagellation
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Pedro Machuca - El descendimiento del Espíritu Santo
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Pedro Ruiz González - Carlos II ante la Sagrada Forma
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Peter Paul Rubens - Cabeza del mayor de los Reyes Magos
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Philippe de Champaigne - Presentación de Cristo en el templo
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Pieter van Roestraten - Vanitas
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Pompeo Batoni - Antíoco y Estratonice
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Solomon de Bray - Jael, Deborah, and Barak
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Thomas Seddon - Léhon visto desde Mont Parnasse, Britania
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Théodore Rousseau - Paisaje con ganado en la ciénaga
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William Holman Hunt - Miss Gladis M. Holman Hunt (The School of Nature)
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Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun - La condesa de Chatenois
Notes
- ^ The Museum of Art of Puerto Rico was listed as accredited by the American Alliance of Museums in the August 2013 report.
References
- ^ a b c d A punto de caramelo el Museo de Arte. Lissette González. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 15 October 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
- ^ Museo de Arte de Ponce, Re-Apertura Grandiosa!! 17 October 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ Museo de Arte de Ponce announces exhibition of masterpieces from the Prado Museum. Art Daily. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
- ^ The Puerto Rico Channel. Discover Ponce's NeoClassical Buildings and Museums. Retrieved June 21, 2009.
- ^ a b Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico Tourism Company. Ven al Sur, page 20. San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2003.
- ^ Que Pasa!, Oct-Nov 2004, page 80. The Puerto Rican Tourism Company, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- ^ TravelPonce.com Top Five Ponce Attractions.
- ^ Offbeat Travel. Pleasures of Ponce, Puerto Rico.
- ^ Business Line: Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications. A Rich Port, Literally! April 15, 2002.
- ^ Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Ponce en sus Dimensiones, page 2. Jorge Ariel Torres, editor, page 13.
- ^ a b c d e Martinez, Marialba (30 October 2003). "Puerto Rico Grieves Over The Loss Of Its Premier Statesman Four Months Short Of His 100th Birthday". Puerto Rico Herald. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ^ a b c Glass, Robert (8 October 1989). "Puerto Rican's 50-Year Goal: Statehood". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ^ Welcome to Puerto Rico. Ponce. Retrieved June 10, 2009.
- ^ a b c MAP 2007 Annual Report Retrieved June 10, 2009.
- ^ Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Tourism Company. Puerto Rico FLy and Drive map.
- ^ "List of Accredited Museums: August 2013". The Museum Accreditation Program. American Alliance of Museums. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ^ Long Range Multimodal Transportation Plan: 2032 Puerto Rico Five Transportation Planning Regions. Long Range Transportation Plan. Strategic Planning Office. Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority. Department of Transporation and Public Works. May 2012. Vol 2. Chapter 4. p.165.
- ^ Celia Quartermain. King Arthur Comes Home: How a key Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood painting by Edward Burne-Jones Ended up on a Caribbean Island. NewStatesman. April 14, 2008. Retrieved November 27, 2009.
- ^ Martin, Douglas (22 October 2003). "Luis A. Ferré Dies at 99; Pushed Puerto Rican Statehood". New York Times. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ^ In Transit; Art Museum Reopens After Major Expansion. Paola Singer. The New York Times. Travel Section. December 5, 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
- ^ Con apertura este domingo: Se reinventa el Museo de Arte de Ponce. By Jason Rodríguez Grafal. Periodico La Perla del Sur. Week of November 10-17, 2010. Ponce, Puerto Rico.
- ^ The New York Times, June 7, 2009.
- ^ Phoenix Art Museum
- ^ Greenwich (CT) Art Museum
- ^ Museum Being Expanded
- ^ MAP: Informe Anual 2008
- ^ $20M Expansion
- ^ Renovation and Expansion Project: Project Objectives. Museo de Arte de Ponce. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
- ^ PONCE. Mark Chesnut. Passport Magazine. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
- ^ Buenos Señora Alcaldesa...Ponce: Maria "Mayita" Melendez Altieri. Nombre de Luis A. Ferré a avenida ponceña. By Darisabel Texidor Guadalupe. La Perla del Sur (printed edition). Ponce, Puerto Rico. 11 November 2010. (Week of November 11–17, 2010.) "Panorama." Page 47.
- ^ Rolón Romero, Ana María (November 10-17, 2010), Bautizan el Bulevar Luis Alberto Ferré., Periodico La Perla del Sur.
- ^ Explore Beyond the Shore: Stare in Awe at Our Masterpieces, Estado Libre Asociado De Puerto Rico. Compañia de Turismo. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 2003.
- ^ Flaming June Retrieved June 10, 2009.
- ^ a b Brown, Mark (15 April 2008), "Pre-Raphaelite painting of Arthur returns", The Guardian, retrieved 4 February 2014
- ^ Del Prado a Ponce: la cita histórica. Carmen Cila Rodríguez. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Year 30. Issue 1478. 28 March 2012. Page 22. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
- ^ UNESCO
External links
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