The Perception of Spanish Art in America: A History of Changes

For centuries, Spanish art was considered only marginal in the international context -a limited deviation from classical excellence. In the 19th century, however, its peculiarity turned positive: in the post-Romantic era, when freedom from the norm and the artist’s commitment to his time became paramount values, Velázquez, Goya and El Greco emerged as true heroes. That change in appreciation had special connotations during The Gilded Age in America, immersed as it was in the construction of a distinctive cultural identity. In the 20th century, artists such as Picasso and Miró, who were central to the history of avant-garde art, became an unavoidable aesthetic and ethical reference for American artists, collectors and museum directors.

From King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center (NYU).