The Aztec Panteon and the Art of Empire

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Posted by Liz on Mar 9, 2010 in Cosas Interesantes/Interesting Stuff, local fun | 2 comments

The Aztec Panteon and the Art of Empire

The J. Paul Getty Museum, Villa Collection, Malibu, California

will be First Exhibition of Ancient Art from Outside the Classical World at the Getty Villa

The Aztec Panteon and the Art of Empire, on view at the Getty Villa from March 24 through July 5, 2010, represents the J. Paul Getty Museum’s first display of antiquities from outside the ancient Mediterranean as well as the first exhibition on the Aztec empire to be organized in Los Angeles . Masterworks of Aztec sculpture, largely from the collections of the Museo Nacional de Antropología and the Museo del Templo Mayor in Mexico City , are the point of departure for this exploration of the monumental art of empire.

Themes of the Exhibition

The Aztec Empire dominated central Mexico from 1460 to 1519, and tribute wealth poured into the capital city of Tenochtitlan (present-day Mexico City ), enabling artists and architects to create works of remarkable sophistication on a monumental scale. Under the ninth emperor, Motecuhzoma II (familiarly known as Montezuma), the empire reached the peak of its size and power. When the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés entered the Valley of Mexico in 1519, he witnessed one of the largest metropolises in the world at that time, a cityscape of towering pyramid-temples, floating gardens, and thriving markets. Motecuhzoma’s splendid island-capital appeared to the Spaniards like a dream, compared only to the fabled cities of Jerusalem , Carthage , and Rome .

The exhibition is part of Los Angeles ’s celebration of the 2010 bicentennial of Mexico ’s independence and the centennial of the Mexican revolution.  In a citywide effort, several other cultural institutions, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach , UCLA’s Fowler Museum , and the Autry National Center of the American West will also develop exhibitions and programming in honor of the bicentennial.

I’ve always wanted to see Art like this.  I still haven’t been to the Getty Museum.   I guess this is my chance to go!  Will I see you there?  Andale, let’s go! (: