Courtesy of Noguchi Museum
That upper Manhattan contains the world’s largest collection of Spanish art outside of Spain might draw questions about whether you’ve gone deep into the sherry cask but it’s only the surprising truth.
The Hispanic Society of America, a museum reopened in May at 155th and Broadway holds over 900 paintings, 6000 watercolors and drawings and more, including multiple pieces by Goya, Velazquez, and El Greco, and the grandest 14-painting commission ever executed by Joaquín Sorolla. While the museum was undergoing a lengthy renovation in recent years portions of its collection were on something of a grand tour back to the continent, receiving rave reviews on exhibit in London and the Prado. You don’t have to take my word for the magnificence of the collection; Miguel Zugaza, Director of the Prado, proclaimed “the wealth of the collections at the Hispanic Society is truly astounding and the remarkably fitting acquisitions of the last few years are a revelation. I think everyone will be surprised by the quality and breadth of these treasures.” If it’s worth a trip to Madrid, it’s certainly worth a trip to Hamilton Heights.
The museum’s director, Guillame Kientz, is intent upon “reintroducing these works to New York” although the first task might be letting the city know it exists.