Hispanic Society

THE HISPANIC SOCIETY OF AMERICA RINGS IN THE NEW YEAR AS NYC & COMPANY'S CULTURAL ORGANIZATION OF THE MONTH

Special Discounts Offered

Note to editors: Images of Hispanic Society of America are available upon request.

New York, NY (January 1, 2007) — This January, New Yorkers can immerse themselves in rich Hispanic culture at the Hispanic Society of America, NYC & Company’s Cultural Organization of the Month. In honor of the designation, this Upper Manhattan institution will offer visitors a 20% discount on all the Hispanic Society publications and a 10% discount on other merchandise in their gift shop when they mention “Cultural Organization of the Month” during the month of January. NYC & Company is the city’s official tourism marketing organization.

The Hispanic Society Museum and Library constitute the most extensive collection of Hispanic art and literature outside of Spain and Latin America. In 1904, the Hispanic Society of America was founded as free museum and research library by the American scholar and philanthropist Archer Milton Huntington. He began his collection with rare Spanish books and manuscripts, decorative arts, followed by paintings and sculpture—all of which now fill the galleries of The Society. Over the past century, the organization has promoted the study of the rich artistic and cultural traditions of Spain and Portugal and their areas of influence in the Americas and throughout the world.
Today the Hispanic Society Museum and Library build upon Huntington’s legacy through an active acquisitions program, as well as public programs that reach out to new audiences through collaborative exhibitions, education, and publications.

The Collections:

The collections of the Hispanic Society are unparalleled in their scope and quality outside the Iberian Peninsula, addressing nearly every aspect of culture in Spain, as well as a large part of Portugal and Latin America.
 

• The Hispanic Society offers a comprehensive survey of Spanish paintings.

  
   

• The sculpture collection contains outstanding pieces from the first millennium B.C. to the early twentieth century.

  
   

• Magnificent examples of ceramics, glass, furniture, textiles, ironwork, and jewelry abound in the Hispanic Society’s varied collections of

  decorative arts

  .

  
   

• Thousands of photographs from 1850 onwards document the art, culture, and customs of Spain and Latin America.

  
   

• The

  library

  offers unrivaled resources for researchers interested in the history and culture of Spain, Portugal, and, their colonies, with more than 250,000 books and periodicals, including 15,000 volumes printed before 1701, along with approximately 200,000 manuscripts from the twelfth century to the present.

  
   

• The comprehensive collection of

  textiles

  , one of the finest in the world, attests to the richness of this art in the Iberian Peninsula from the Arab rule to the early twentieth century.

Of Special Interest in January:

Gallery Talk on Girls of Burriana by Hermenegildo Anglada Camarasa (Before 1911; Oil on canvas)
Saturday, January 20, 2007 at 12 Noon by Dr. Marcus Burke, Curator of Painting

Born in Barcelona, Hermenegildo Anglada Camarasa moved to Paris in 1894, where he would live until 1914. While in Paris, he was influenced by avant-garde movements (such as fauvism and Cubism), the Vienna Succession and the art of Gustav Klimt. Anglada had little contact with the Modernistes in Barcelona until he exhibited at Els Quatre Gats in 1900.

Archer Huntington bought Girls of Burriana in Paris in November 1912 directly from Anglada. Anglada’s work was one of the furthest forays Huntington made into Modern Spanish art. In Girls of Burriana, the painter uses bold technique and use of color to depict young women from a small city near Valencia preparing for a parade, mastering a subject much-beloved by Huntington—the customs of the people of Spain.

For a complete calendar of the Hispanic Society of America events for January, please visit NYC & Company’s website at nycgo.com.

“The Hispanic Society of America is today the preeminent museum and library dedicated to Hispanic culture in the United States,” said Mitchell Codding, Executive Director. “As NYC & Company’s Cultural Organization of the Month, we are excited to showcase our collections that unite all of the Hispanic population of the United States through the common heritage of Spanish history and culture. Now in our second century of celebrating all Hispanic cultures, we hope that people will take the time to visit us and learn more about the rich cultures of Spain, Portugal, and Latin America.”

To get to the Hispanic Society by subway, take the 1 train to 157th Street and Broadway. To get there by bus, take the M-4 or M-5 to Broadway and 155th Street.

About the Hispanic Society of America: The Hispanic Society of America was founded as a free museum and research library in 1904 by the American scholar and philanthropist Archer Milton Huntington. Over the past century the Hispanic
Society has promoted the study of the rich artistic and cultural traditions of Spain and Portugal and their areas of influence in the Americas and throughout the world. Hours of operation: Tuesday-Saturday: 10am- 4:30pm; Sunday: 1pm- 4pm. Admission is free. The Hispanic Society of America is located at Broadway between 155th and 156th Streets in Manhattan. For more information, call 212-926-2234 or visitwww.hispanicsociety.org. To get there by subway, take the 1 train to 157th
Street and Broadway. To get there by bus, take the M-4 or M-5 to Broadway and 155th Street.

About Cultural Organization of the Month: Produced by the NYC & Company Foundation, the Cultural Organization of the Month program promotes cultural tourism in all five boroughs. By spotlighting a different arts organization each month, the program encourages visitors to discover the cultural opportunities available throughout New York City. For information, visit nycgo.com.
About NYC & Company: NYC & Company, the city’s official tourism marketing organization, is a private, membership-based non-profit dedicated to building New York City’s economy and positive image through tourism and convention development, major events and the marketing of the city on a worldwide basis. For more information, visit nycgo.com or call 212-484-1222.

About the NYC & Company Foundation: The NYC & Company Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable and educational organization whose mission is to support tourism to New York City by promoting the arts and cultural organizations that make visiting New York a special and exciting experience. Since its inception in 1999, the Foundation has focused on educating domestic and international audiences about the diversity of the cultural community within New York City.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Kimberly Spell 212-484-1270
NYC & Company
Kim Esp/Jaime Strohmenger
212-575-4545, kesp@lakpr.com
Linden Alschuler & Kaplan Public Relations, Inc.

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About NYC & Company:
NYC & Company is the official marketing, tourism and partnership organization for the City of New York, dedicated to maximizing travel and tourism opportunities throughout the five boroughs, building economic prosperity and spreading the positive image of New York City worldwide.