The Grandeur of Viceregal Mexico

Treasures from the Museo of Franz Mayer

Sandiego Museum of Art March 8-May 18, 2003

The exhibition focuses exclusively on the rich artistic heritage of Mexico during the Viceregal period (1521-1821). "The Grandeur of Viceregal Mexico: Treasures from the Museo Franz Mayer" presents approximately 130 decorative and fine arts, all drawn from the extensive holdings of the Museo Franz Mayer in Mexico City, home to the most comprehensive collection of colonial Mexican art in the world.

The Grandeur of Viceregal Mexico includes painting and sculpture, inlaid and richly carved furniture, silver, gold, and iron pieces, and Talavera earthenware, all produced between 1521 and 1821. The objects in the exhibition reveal how a fascinating confluence of Spanish, Moorish, Chinese, and Mesoamerican cultures gave the art of Mexico during this period its distinctive qualities.

Franz Mayer was a German immigrant who came to Mexico City in 1905 where he became a very successful banker and financier. Around 1920, Mayer focused his attention on collecting Mexican art of the colonial period, and when he died, he left his collections to the people of Mexico.

[/] Franz Mayer Collection from Mexico City [/] Sandiego Museum of Art