Ponce Museum of Art
Encyclopedia
Museo de Arte de Ponce, or MAP, is an art museum located on Las Americas Avenue (PR-133) in Ponce, Puerto Rico
. It is considered the finest art museum in Puerto Rico. It houses a collection of European art, as well as work by Puerto Rican
artists. The largest art museum in the Caribbean, it has also been called one of the best in the Americas. The museum contains one of the most important pre-Raphaelite
collections in the Western Hemisphere
, holding some 4,500 pieces of art distributed among fourteen galleries
. It is the only museum in Puerto Rico accredited by the American Association of Museums
. It was founded by politician
and philanthropist
Luis A. Ferré
, and its current building was officially inaugurated on December 28, 1965.
traveled to Europe
. There he bought originals of various European art masterpieces, 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.
On January 3, 1959, Ferré opened the museum in a small house at 70 Cristina Street in Ponce
, 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, the space fell short. Ferré then acquired a tract of land on Las Americas Avenue in Ponce to build the museum, and recruited architect
Edward Durell Stone
for its design. 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.
, Edward Durell Stone
. One of the main features of the museum is its hexagonal galleries, which allow natural light to pour through its corners bringing a unique illumination to them. The museum has a total of 14 galleries, two gardens, and an amphitheater. The main entrance with its bifurcated ladders is another of the main features of the museum.
The museum's new icon is Pinceladas en Vuelo (Brushstokes in Flight), a monumental 28-foot-high aluminum structure by the acclaimed New York sculptor Roy Lichtenstein
. The imposing structure, created in 1984, sits on the front yard of the museum. "It will be the largest public [display art] work in Latin America and the Caribbean."
's Plaza Las Américas
, and it is lend some of its best pieces out to traveling shows at fine arts institutions throughout the world.
The construction work was both a renovation and an expansion, as it would ultimately also increase the size of the museum by over 40%. The $20-turn-$30 million renovation also included a new building to house a historic archive and a library.
The 37745 square feet (3,506.6 m²) annex to the museum’s main building houses new a educational space, a library specializing in art history, the Don Luis A. Ferré Archives, a laboratory for the conservation of artworks, a multipurpose room, an artwork storage area, museum shop, restaurant, and administrative areas.
The newly refurbished and expanded facilities opened on November 13, 2010, with great fanfare. The thoroughfare
on which the museum is located, a major artery
in Ponce, was also renamed the "Luis A. Ferré
Boulevard" in honor of the Puerto Rican statesman and founder of the museum.
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The Museo de Arte de Ponce houses the most important collection of European art in Latin America. 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.
The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon
, the final masterpiece of Sir Edward Burne-Jones
is another of the main masterpieces of the museum collection. The enormous painting was started in 1881 and left unfinished at the artist's death in 1898. Both Flaming June and The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon are currently on loan to Tate Britain
while the gallery undergoes a two-year refurbishment.
"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."
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.
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
. It is considered the finest art museum in Puerto Rico. It houses a collection of European art, as well as work by Puerto Rican
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
artists. The largest art museum in the Caribbean, it has also been called one of the best in the Americas. The museum contains one of the most important pre-Raphaelite
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino , better known simply as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur...
collections in the Western Hemisphere
Western Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
, holding some 4,500 pieces of art distributed among fourteen galleries
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
. It is the only museum in Puerto Rico accredited by the American Association of Museums
American Association of Museums
The American Association of Museums is a non-profit association that has brought museums together since its founding in 1906, helping develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and advocating on issues of concern to the museum community...
. It was founded by politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
Luis A. Ferré
Luis A. Ferré
Don Luis Alberto Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the third Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party which advocates for Puerto Rico...
, and its current building was officially inaugurated on December 28, 1965.
Museum History
The project of the museum began in 1956 when Luis A. FerréLuis A. Ferré
Don Luis Alberto Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the third Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party which advocates for Puerto Rico...
traveled to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. There he bought originals of various European art masterpieces, which encouraged him to start a project for a museum in the city of Ponce
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
, his birthplace. With the advice of two experts - Julius S. Held, specialist on Rubens
Rubens
Rubens is often used to refer to Peter Paul Rubens , the Flemish artist.Rubens may also refer to:- People :Family name* Paul Rubens Rubens is often used to refer to Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), the Flemish artist.Rubens may also refer to:- People :Family name* Paul Rubens (composer) Rubens is...
and professor of Art History
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
at Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, and René Taylor, art and architecture enthusiast and professor at the University of Granada
University of Granada
The University of Granada is a public university located in Granada, Spain that enrolls approximately 80,000 students. The university also has campuses in Ceuta and Melilla. Every year, over 2,000 European students enroll in the UGR through the Erasmus Programme, making it the most popular...
, Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
, and Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
- Ferré compiled a collection of works of art based on their value instead of their popularity.
On January 3, 1959, Ferré opened the museum in a small house at 70 Cristina Street in Ponce
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
, 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, the space fell short. Ferré then acquired a tract of land on Las Americas Avenue in Ponce to build the museum, and recruited architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Edward Durell Stone
Edward Durell Stone
Edward Durell Stone was a twentieth century American architect who worked primarily in the Modernist style.-Early life:...
for its design. 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.
The building and architecture
"Puerto Rico has many marvelous museums but none combine magnificent collections with extraordinary architecture as beautifully as the Ponce Museum of Art." The striking facade and interior was designed by renowned architectArchitect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, Edward Durell Stone
Edward Durell Stone
Edward Durell Stone was a twentieth century American architect who worked primarily in the Modernist style.-Early life:...
. One of the main features of the museum is its hexagonal galleries, which allow natural light to pour through its corners bringing a unique illumination to them. The museum has a total of 14 galleries, two gardens, and an amphitheater. The main entrance with its bifurcated ladders is another of the main features of the museum.
The museum's new icon is Pinceladas en Vuelo (Brushstokes in Flight), a monumental 28-foot-high aluminum structure by the acclaimed New York sculptor Roy Lichtenstein
Roy Lichtenstein
Roy Lichtenstein was a prominent American pop artist. During the 1960s his paintings were exhibited at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York City and along with Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, James Rosenquist and others he became a leading figure in the new art movement...
. The imposing structure, created in 1984, sits on the front yard of the museum. "It will be the largest public [display art] work in Latin America and the Caribbean."
2010 Enlargement
The museum was closed from 2008 to 2010 while undergoing a $30 million renovation. It reopened in time for the celebration of its 2010 50th anniversary, on November 13, 2010, after a $30 million renovation. In the meantime, the museum held exhibitions at an annex it opened in San JuanSan Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
's Plaza Las Américas
Plaza Las Américas
Plaza Las Américas is a shopping mall in Hato Rey, San Juan, Puerto Rico, located at the intersection of Routes 18 and 22. It is near the Roberto Clemente Coliseum, the Hiram Bithorn Stadium, and the WKAQ-TV's studios. "Plaza", as it is known to many Puerto Ricans, was the first indoor mall built...
, and it is lend some of its best pieces out to traveling shows at fine arts institutions throughout the world.
The construction work was both a renovation and an expansion, as it would ultimately also increase the size of the museum by over 40%. The $20-turn-$30 million renovation also included a new building to house a historic archive and a library.
The 37745 square feet (3,506.6 m²) annex to the museum’s main building houses new a educational space, a library specializing in art history, the Don Luis A. Ferré Archives, a laboratory for the conservation of artworks, a multipurpose room, an artwork storage area, museum shop, restaurant, and administrative areas.
The newly refurbished and expanded facilities opened on November 13, 2010, with great fanfare. The thoroughfare
Thoroughfare
A thoroughfare is a place of transportation intended to connect one location to another. Highways, roads, and trails are examples of thoroughfares used by a variety of general traffic. On land a thoroughfare may refer to anything from a rough trail to multi-lane highway with grade separated...
on which the museum is located, a major artery
Arterial road
An arterial road, or arterial thoroughfare, is a high-capacity urban road. The primary function of an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector roads to freeways, and between urban centres at the highest level of service possible. As such, many arteries are limited-access roads, or feature...
in Ponce, was also renamed the "Luis A. Ferré
Luis A. Ferré
Don Luis Alberto Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the third Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party which advocates for Puerto Rico...
Boulevard" in honor of the Puerto Rican statesman and founder of the museum.
The Museum
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
, British Pre-Raphaelite, Spanish Golden Age
Spanish Golden Age
The Spanish Golden Age is a period of flourishing in arts and literature in Spain, coinciding with the political rise and decline of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty. El Siglo de Oro does not imply precise dates and is usually considered to have lasted longer than an actual century...
and contemporary Latin-American
Latin American art
Latin American art is the combined artistic expressions of South America, Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico, as well as Latin American living in other regions....
art.
Some of the artists whose paintings and works are exhibited at the museum are Peter Paul Rubens, Lucas Cranach
Lucas Cranach the Elder
Lucas Cranach the Elder , was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving...
, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
Bartolomé Estéban Murillo
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo was a Spanish Baroque painter. Although he is best known for his religious works, Murillo also produced a considerable number of paintings of contemporary women and children...
, Eugène Delacroix
Eugène Delacroix
Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school...
, and Sir Edward Burne-Jones
Edward Burne-Jones
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet was a British artist and designer closely associated with the later phase of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, who worked closely with William Morris on a wide range of decorative arts as a founding partner in Morris, Marshall, Faulkner, and Company...
, among others. The main masterpiece of the museum is the Flaming June
Flaming June
Flaming June is a painting by Lord Frederic Leighton, produced in 1895. Painted with oil paints on a 47" x 47" square canvas, it is widely considered to be Leighton's magnum opus, showing his classicist nature. It is thought that the woman portrayed alludes to the figures of sleeping nymphs and...
, painted by Frederic Leighton. Ferré bought this piece for $6,000 in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and it was his favorite.
The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon
The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon
The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon is a painting by Edward Burne-Jones, started in 1881. The massive painting measures 279 cm × 650 cm, and is widely considered to be Burne-Jones's magnum opus....
, the final masterpiece of Sir Edward Burne-Jones
Edward Burne-Jones
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet was a British artist and designer closely associated with the later phase of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, who worked closely with William Morris on a wide range of decorative arts as a founding partner in Morris, Marshall, Faulkner, and Company...
is another of the main masterpieces of the museum collection. The enormous painting was started in 1881 and left unfinished at the artist's death in 1898. Both Flaming June and The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon are currently on loan to Tate Britain
Tate Britain
Tate Britain is an art gallery situated on Millbank in London, and part of the Tate gallery network in Britain, with Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is the oldest gallery in the network, opening in 1897. It houses a substantial collection of the works of J. M. W. Turner.-History:It...
while the gallery undergoes a two-year refurbishment.
"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
José Campeche
José Campeche , born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is the first known Puerto Rican visual artist and considered by many as one of the best rococo artists in the Americas.-Early years:...
, Francisco Oller
Francisco Oller
Francisco Manuel Oller y Cestero was a Puerto Rican visual artist. Oller is considered to be the only Latin American painter to have played a role in the development of Impressionism.-Early years:...
, Miguel Pou
Miguel Pou
Miguel Pou y Becerra was a Puerto Rican oil canvas painter. He was a painter, draftsman, and professor. Together with José Campeche and Francisco Oller, he has been called "one of Puerto Rico's greatest masters." He was an exposer of the impressionist movement. During his life he carried out...
, as well as the best contemporary talent such as Myrna Báez, Francisco Rodón
Francisco Rodón
Francisco Rodón, named Puerto Rico's most important 20th century painter at the Expo 92 World's Fair in Seville, Spain, joining the 18th century's José Campeche and the 19th century's Francisco Oller, was born on June 6, 1934 in San Sebastián, Puerto Rico...
, Antonio Martorell
Antonio Martorell
Antonio Martorell is a well known Puerto Rican painter, graphic artist, writer and radio and television personality. He regularly exhibits in Puerto Rico and the United States and participates in arts events around the globe.-Life:...
and Arnaldo Roche Rabell, among others."
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
Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo de Rivera was a Mexican painter, born in Coyoacán, and perhaps best known for her self-portraits....
.
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.