October 12, 2024
Rienzi presents this cultural conversation in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Assistant curator Misty Flores and author Roberto Tejada from the University of Houston discuss the arts of Viceregal Mexico in the Rienzi Collection, along with contemporary implications of the Baroque aesthetic. The collection offers a unique opportunity to examine the artistic exchange between Europe, Asia, and the Indigenous Americas during the Viceregal period in Mexico (1535–1821).

The Mexican Baroque, a unique artistic language that emerged from the Spanish conquest of the New World in 1521, was not merely imitating European styles. It resulted from significant alterations as the Baroque intersected with the customs of local cultures. Colonial artists adapted the European Baroque to the local context by incorporating elements, traditions, symbols, and beliefs of Indigenous origins. This blending of European and native imagery contributed to developing a distinct colonial visual aesthetic in the Americas.

Tickets

• $10 for adults, $8 for seniors (65+), $5 for students and youth (ages 13–18), free for children (12 & younger)
• Free for MFAH Members

Rienzi is the MFAH house museum for European decorative arts. Learn More

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