Diego Velázquez, Portrait of a Little Girl, 1638–42, oil on canvas, 20 ¼ x 16 in. The Hispanic Society of America, New York, NY.

AUSTIN, TX — July 15, 2025 — Baroque masterpieces travel to the Blanton Museum of Art at The University of Texas at Austin for Spirit & Splendor: El Greco, Velázquez, and the Hispanic Baroque. On view from August 24, 2025, through February 1, 2026, this major exhibition presents 57 works from the renowned collection of the Hispanic Society Museum & Library.

Founded in 1904 by philanthropist Archer M. Huntington, The Hispanic Society houses one of the most significant collections of Spanish art outside of Spain. Presenting this collection marks a special moment in the Blanton’s history. From 1980 to 1998, the museum was known as the Archer M. Huntington Gallery — in tribute to Huntington’s foundational support for building a university art museum at UT Austin. This legacy continues today in the museum’s Huntington Galleries, which display works from the Blanton’s collection.

“The Hispanic Society’s collection is unmatched in its depth and beauty, and we’re honored to bring these masterpieces to Austin for the first time,” said Simone Wicha, Director of the Blanton Museum of Art. “This exhibition reflects the Blanton’s evolution into a museum of global reach while remaining deeply rooted in our region’s cultural history. It offers Texas audiences a rare chance to encounter iconic works by artists like Velázquez and El Greco alongside equally powerful paintings from colonial Latin America — illuminating the intertwined legacies of faith, empire, and artistic exchange.”

Spirit & Splendor focuses on paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries — an era when Spain established itself as the first global empire, after invading territories in the so-called New World, as well as in the Netherlands, Italy, and the Philippines. The wealth extracted from these regions, along with the expansion of Spain’s intellectual horizons, ushered in two centuries of remarkable literary and artistic achievement. During this time, as the title Spirit & Splendor suggests, the Spanish Catholic Church commissioned art to reaffirm its teachings and evoke the sacred, while the royal court relied on the arts to enhance its splendor and prestige.

This exhibition showcases this rich and complex artistic legacy, featuring works by renowned Spanish painters such as El Greco, Diego Velázquez, Francisco de Zurbarán, and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, shown alongside Latin American artists like Luis Juárez, Baltasar de Echave Ibía, José de Páez, and Melchor Pérez Holguín, who integrated local artistic traditions with the global Baroque aesthetic.

The Blanton’s presentation is co organized by Rosario I. Granados, Marilynn Thoma Curator, Art of the Spanish Americas, and Holly Borham, Curator of Prints, Drawings, and European Art. “This exhibition offers an exciting opportunity to expand our understanding of the Baroque beyond Europe and explore how its visual language evolved across the Spanish-speaking world,” said Granados.

“Visitors will surely be captivated by Velázquez’s sensitive portraits and El Greco’s visionary religious works, while also discovering the rich range of styles of Spanish painting — from hyper-realistic trompe-l’oeil still lifes to jewel-like paintings on copper,” added Borham.

The range of works on view is extended with two additions from the Blanton’s own collection, including a rare sculpture by Luisa Roldán, the earliest documented woman sculptor in Spain.

Highlights from The Hispanic Society’s collection include:

El Greco, Pietà, 1574–1576, oil on canvas. Photo: courtesy of The Hispanic Society of America, New York.

This oil painting synthesizes many of El Greco’s artistic influences, most notably Michelangelo, while also highlighting his unique style, which combines naturalistic portraiture, robust painterly techniques, and radical compositional experiments. •

Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo, after Diego Velázquez, Copy of the Portrait of Juan de Pareja, circa 1656–1657, oil on canvas. Photo: courtesy of The Hispanic Society of America, New York.

This is the earliest known copy of Velázquez’s portrait of Juan de Pareja, a man of African descent who was enslaved in the artist’s household and later became a successful painter after gaining his freedom. • The Wedding at Cana by Nicolás Correa, 1696. One of only four signed works by the Mexican painter, this enconchado panel uses mother of pearl inlay to illuminate a canonical biblical scene — an example of the Hispanic Baroque’s blend of global influences. •

Diego Velázquez, Portrait of a Little Girl, 1638–42, oil on canvas, 20 1/4 x 16 in. Photo: courtesy of The Hispanic Society of America, New York.

This unfinished portrait of an unknown girl — one of only two portraits Velázquez made of non-royal children — captures his realist style and skilled brushwork. The Blanton’s presentation marks the final stop for these artworks, following exhibitions at the Boca Raton Museum of Art and the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Anthonis Mor van Dashorst, Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Third Duke of Alba, 1549, oil on canvas. Photo: courtesy of The Hispanic Society of America, New York.

El Greco, Saint Luke, 1590s, oil on canvas. Photo: courtesy of The Hispanic Society of America, New York

Miguel de Pret, Still Life with Melon and Fowl, circa 1630, oil on canvas. Photo: courtesy of The Hispanic Society of America, New York.

Fray Alonso López de Herrera, Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, 1640, oil on copper. Photo: courtesy of The Hispanic Society of America, New York.

Diego Velázquez, Camillo Astalli, Known as Cardinal Pamphili, circa 1650–1651, oil on canvas. Photo: courtesy of The Hispanic Society of America, New York.

Sebastián López de Arteaga, Saint Michael Striking Down the Rebellious Angels, circa 1650–1652, oil on copper. Photo: courtesy of The Hispanic Society of America, New York.

Nicolás de Correa, The Wedding at Cana, 1696, oil and mixed media on wood panel, inlaid with mother-of-pearl (nácar). Photo: courtesy of The Hispanic Society of America, New York.

Melchor Pérez Holguín, Saint Peter of Alcántara and Saint Teresa, circa 1724, oil on canvas. Photo: courtesy of The Hispanic Society of America, New York.