LACMA Will Host First U.S. Murillo Retrospective
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. – The United States’ first comprehensive retrospective of renowned Spanish artist Bartolome Esteban Murillo will be on view at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) from July 14 through October 6. “Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1617-1682): Paintings from American Collections,” co-organized by LACMA and the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, will feature more than 30 of the artist’s works from the golden age of Spanish painting.
Paintings in the exhibition were drawn from the considerable number of fine examples of Murillo’s work in American museums and private collections. They range from religious subjects to scenes of everyday life and portraits. The exhibition will provide the American public an opportunity to appreciate the quality and range of the artist’s work and to understand the extraordinary reputation he enjoyed in his lifetime as one of the greatest European painters.
With the exception of a visit to the royal court in Madrid in 1658, Murillo spent his entire, very productive, life in his native Seville, where he created great numbers of religious paintings for the churches and monasteries, as well as for a circle of admiring private patrons. The lively artistic environment of Seville enhanced Murillo’s training as a painter. His work reflects a broad knowledge of styles and subjects from both the north of Europe and from Italy, and demonstrates a truly cosmopolitan culture.
A fully illustrated catalog, published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc, in collaboration with the Kimbell Art Museum, is available. The catalog includes essays on Murillo’s life and work by Claire Barry, Jonathan Brown, Peter Cherry, William B. Jordan and guest curator of the exhibition, Suzanne L. Stratton-Pruitt.
Museum hours are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, noon to 8 pm; Friday, noon to 9 pm; and Saturday and Sunday, 11 am to 8 pm. For information, 323-857-6000 or visit www.lacma.org.
