Welcome to Spanish Institute

Queen Sofía Spanish Institute was founded in 1954 to promote the understanding of Spanish culture, past and present, and its influence in the Americas through a variety of programs. As the Center for American-Spanish Affairs, the Institute organizes lectures, symposia, luncheons and dinner meetings to discuss economic, political and social issues of concern to Spain, the European Union, Latin America and the United States. The Institute also offers language instruction and hosts numerous exhibitions and cultural events related to Spain and Latin America.

Queen Sofía Spanish Institute is located at 684 Park Avenue, a landmark neo-Federal townhouse designed by McKim, Mead & White and completed in 1927. The building has been home to Queen Sofía Spanish Institute since 1965, when it was donated by Margaret Rockefeller Strong de Larraín, Marquesa de Cuevas.

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JOAQUÍN SOROLLA AND THE GLORY OF SPANISH DRESS

Joaquin Sorolla & the Glory of Spanish Dress

—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—

Joaquín Sorolla and the Glory of Spanish Dress
December 8, 2011—March 10, 2012

This December Queen Sofía Spanish Institute will present Joaquín Sorolla and the Glory of Spanish Dress, a seminal exhibition analyzing the rich history of Spain's regional clothing styles through the monumental paintings of Valencian artist Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (1863-1923). Celebrated as a painter of light and hailed as a "modern of the moderns" by art critic Duncan C. Phillips, Sorolla was one of the most successful artists of his time, lauded for his free brushwork and his exceptional ability to capture atmosphere. For the first time, Sorolla's vivid depictions of Spanish life will be shown side by side with the types of costumes they portray in a spectacular display of Spain's traditional dress in all its glory.

Joaquín Sorolla and the Glory of Spanish Dress was conceived by Oscar de la Renta, chairman of the Institute's board of directors and a tireless patron of the arts who worked closely with the exhibition team to develop and realize the show. This compelling subject was inspired by the deep love of Spanish art and culture that Mr. de la Renta developed during his years living in Spain, where he moved at the age of eighteen to study painting at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid, where his own illustrious design career began.

The exhibition curator is André Leon Talley, editor of Vogue's monthly column "Life with André." Talley received a Master of Arts degree in French literature from Brown University and later moved to New York City to assist Diana Vreeland at The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is recipient of the Eugenia Sheppard Award for Excellence in Fashion Journalism by the Council of Fashion Designers of America and a member of the board of Trustees at Savannah College of Art and Design, where each year, the André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award is given to a designer in recognition of their significant contributions to fashion.

In an unprecedented partnership with the Ministry of Culture of Spain, the exhibition will highlight costumes and artwork never before exhibited in the United States. Key clothing from Madrid's Museo del Traje, along with select pieces from the artist's own collection now housed at the Museo Sorolla in Madrid will form the core of the show. A selection of paintings completed as preparatory studies for Vision of Spain from the Museo Sorolla will provide powerful visual context for the garments. Additional objects from both private lenders and other institutions will be shown. Assorted ephemera will reveal parallel investigations of Spanish identity by other artists and scholars. Finally, a selection of clothing from contemporary designers will show Spain's enduring influence on fashion.

The accompanying catalogue-featuring forewords by Oscar de la Renta and Harold Koda, curator in charge of The Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and an introduction by André Leon Talley-will be edited by curatorial research associates Molly Sorkin and Jennifer Park and consist of an anthology of essays on Joaquín Sorolla and Spanish regional dress by prominent scholars in the fields of art history and costume studies. Catalogue design and exhibition graphics will be created by Pace Kaminsky. Set designer Stefan Beckman, whose prestigious client list includes Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, Chanel, Cartier, and the Brooklyn Museum of Art, will create the show's dynamic design.

Joaquín Sorolla and the Glory of Spanish Dress will be accompanied by a series of related public programs. Please email arts [at] spanishinstitute.org for more information about upcoming programming and educational or group visits.

For images and more information, please contact us at press [at] spanishinstitute.org or .

Gallery hours:
Monday-Thursday 10am-6pm
Friday 10am-8pm
Saturday 10am-5pm

Order BALENCIAGA: Spanish Master Online

Photo credit: Kenny Komer

Conceived of by our Chairman, Oscar de la Renta, curated by Vogue Contributing Editor Hamish Bowles, BALENCIAGA: Spanish Master was the first exhibition to consider the impact of Spain's culture, history and art on one of its greatest twentieth-century sons, the legendary designer Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895-1972). Showcasing more than seventy items of Cristóbal Balenciaga clothing and accessories, BALENCIAGA: Spanish Master is the result of an unprecedented collaboration between the House of Balenciaga in Paris and an American institution.

The accompanying catalogue - written by Hamish Bowles; published by Rizzoli; and art directed by Alex González, Executive Creative Director of AR New York and former creative director of GQ, German Vogue, and L'Uomo Vogue - has as its focus the influence of Balenciaga's native country on the designer's creative process and work.

Exclusively for sale at Queen Sofía Spanish Institute, BALENCIAGA: Spanish Master is now available for order through the Institute.

Past Exhibitions and Events

See our past events and exhibitions on our NEW Past Events page!

To see what programming is developing at the Institute just visit our Calendar of Events.

Recently Ended

RE-IMAGINING DON QUIXOTE:
Books and Drawings and Prints by William T. Wiley for the 2010 Arion Press edition
(March 10 through June 8, 2011)

An exhibition of this new artistic edition of Edith Grossman's 2003 translation of Don Quixote, in collaboration with Arion Press and Americas Society. Featuring original preliminary sketches by William T. Wiley, who created 97 full-page illustrations interpreting the novel, the cover design for the handcrafted goatskin binding, and separate color prints on Cervantes' themes.

Opening & Panel Discussion
Thursday, March 10, 6:00 P.M.
"A Landmark Don Quixote: Translator Edith Grossman, Artist William T. Wiley, and Designer Andrew Hoyem on Creating the 2010 Arion Press edition"

THE FOOD OF SPAIN
A Talk and Tasting
with Claudia Roden
Wednesday, June 8 at 7:00 p.m.

Spain's extraordinary geographic diversity and its dramatic patchwork history result in a land of breathtaking gastronomic diversity. Claudia Roden has spent a lifetime studying the foods and cultures of the Near East and Mediterranean, and is the author of many cookbooks. This lecture celebrates the publication of Roden's latest work, "The Food of Spain" (HarperCollins). She will focus on the historical influences that produced a unique, colorful, and sensuous cuisine where every dish holds memories and stories of the past. Reception to follow with food from Claudia's book prepared by members of Culinary Historians of New York.

QUEEN SOFÍA SPANISH INSTITUTE TRANSLATION PRIZE

CONGRATULATIONS TO INAUGURAL WINNER EDITH GROSSMAN
for her translation of A Manuscript of Ashes by Antonio Muñoz Molina

The Reading Committee of the Inaugural Queen Sofía Spanish Institute Translation Prize has unanimously recommended Edith Grossman to receive the Inaugural Prize for her extraordinary translation of Antonio Muñoz Molina's A Manuscript of Ashes (Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt, 2008; originally published as Beatus Ille in 1986). With the aim of elevating awareness and engendering appreciation of Spanish literature in the United States, this triennial $10,000 prize has been created by the Cultural Committee and Board of Directors of Queen Sofía Spanish Institute to honor the best English-language translation of a work of fiction written in Castilian by a Spanish author and published by an American imprint. The inaugural award celebrates the best translation published between 2006 and 2008, with subsequent awards anticipated in 2012 and 2015.

The award ceremony on February 2 was presided by Oscar de la Renta, Chairman of the Institute's Board of Directors, and featured Edith Grossman and Antonio Muñoz Molina in dialogue on the art of writing and translating. Books are still available.

The establishment of the prize has been made possible thanks to the generous support of the Ministry of Culture of Spain, the Spain USA Foundation, and Mrs. Jean van Waveren.

(Full press release)

For more information, or to obtain a book: (212)628-0420 or ebogue@queensofiasi.org.