Treasures of Spanish Colonial Art on Display in Santa Fe

One of the most wide-ranging collections of Spanish colonial art in the U.S. will open to the public for the first time July 21 in a new museum in Santa Fe, N.M. Most of the 3,000 pieces have never been displayed, said Stuart A. Ashman, the museum’s executive director.

The Museum of Spanish Colonial Art is in a renovated 1930 building designed by Pueblo Revival pioneer John Gaw Meem on a hilltop about two miles southeast of downtown. The building, donated anonymously in 1998, houses artwork that Santa Fe’s Spanish Colonial Arts Society has been gathering since the 1920s.

Only about 75 of the pieces have been displayed at the adjacent Museum of International Folk Art; the rest have been in storage or undergoing conservation, Ashman said.

Highlights include a wooden colonial house built in Mexico in the 18th century; a room based on the 1815 estate inventory of Santa Fe military man Capt. Manuel Delgado; and a 1780 image of San Rafael, believed to be the earliest retablo (religious painting on wood) in New Mexico. Artworks include paintings, jewelry, tools and furniture from the Americas, Europe and Asia from the 18th century to modern times. About 600 pieces are on permanent display.

The museum will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is $6 for adults, free for ages 16 and younger. A joint pass good for admission to five Santa Fe museums, including this one, over four days costs $15. (505) 982-2226, www.spanishcolonial.org.