National Gallery of Art Acquires Significant Work by Juan Correa with the help and advisement of Art History Professor, Ray Hernández-Durán

In 2022, Ray Hernández-Durán, Ph.D., Professor of Art History in the Department of Art was invited to serve as a consultant to the National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington D.C. as the gallery prepared to make their first Spanish Colonial Art acquisition. Hernández-Durán completed his M.A. in the Art of Africa and the African Diaspora at The University of Wisconsin-Madison and his Ph.D. in Pre-Hispanic and Colonial Latin American Art at The University of Chicago. He is currently Professor of Spanish Colonial Art and Architecture in the Department of Art at UNM and is affiliated with Latin American Studies, Chicana/Chicano Studies, Africana Studies, and Museum Studies.

Central to his research and teaching has been a critical exploration of historiography, colonialism, institutional histories and practices, and the political nature of knowledge production. The NGA recently unveiled their new painting, “Christ Gathering His Garments after the Flagellation,” c. 1670s by the late seventeenth-century Novohispanic painter, Juan Correa.

“We are thrilled to acquire this first major work by a colonial Latin American artist of the caliber of Juan Correa.” said E. Carmen Ramos, chief curatorial and conservation officer at the National Gallery of Art. “This transformative acquisition aligns with our goals to expand our collection of works by major artists that are missing from our collection and that broaden the narratives of art history. Correa’s masterpiece will help us craft new stories in our galleries that consider the relationships between European artistic traditions and art produced in and for colonial societies. Its powerful emotive force will help our audiences explore the social implications of religion and spirituality. That Correa was an artist of African descent reveals his determination to be an artist, as well as his place among other important artists of color in the Americas. This work will open new perspectives in our presentation of both European and American art, broadly defined.”

Juan Correa was one of the most prolific artists in Mexico City during this period, and is identified as a leading proponent of what has been variously called high or ultra baroque Mexican art. This first significant purchase of a colonial artwork is part of a larger plan to expand the NGA’s collections so there will be more to come.

https://www.nga.gov/press/acquisitions/2024/juan-correa.html