Topic 11 - The Spanish Baroque in North Texas

There are several opportunities to see and hear the arts of the baroque in North Texas.

1. Meadows Museum (SMU)

The Meadows Museum was founded in the 1960s to be "the Prado on the Prairie."  The Prado is the national art museum of Spain.  The Meadows in Dallas has one of the largest collections of Spanish (including colonial) art outside of Spain.

The Meadows often has some rather interesting touring exhibitions. Currently showing is"El Greco, Goya, and a Taste for Spain" Here is a link to the exhibition




2. Dallas Museum of Art and Kimbell Museum

The DMA has boasts a Spanish Colonial Gallery and several nice pieces of baroque art in its Latin American collection.  There are also some very nice precolumbian pieces as well.

If you are interested in precolumbian art, the Kimbell Art Museum in Ft. Worth has a fine collection, including several important Maya vases.




3. Orchestra of New Spain

This fascinating group of more than 40 musicians and singers stages mostly baroque pieces that would have been performed at the viceregal court in Mexico City (and in Spain).  They often stage a production that hasn't been seen in centuries, drawn from archival sources.  Follow this link to the orchestra's website.  I have linked to a page of video excerpts from their performances.  Enjoy!


Take a Trip Outside of North Texas....

4. Slightly further afield, go to San Antonio and visit the exceptional collection of Latin American art at the San Antonio Museum of Art.  Then visit the San Antonio missions before enjoying an evening listening to strolling mariachis along the Riverwalk.

5. Hopefully you will all have a chance to visit Santa Fe, New Mexico someday.  My family and I spend a couple of weeks every year in Santa Fe and Taos (we meet up with the family of my comadre - we are cross-godparents to each others' kids).  Visit the New Mexico History Museum in the Palace of the Governors (the original capital building dating from the founding of Santa Fe) and the Museum of Spanish Colonial Arts.