PAST EXHIBITIONS

This year marks the centennial of the death of the celebrated Spanish painter Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (1863–1923). In honor of this important anniversary, the Spanish government has declared 2023 the “year of Sorolla.” At the Meadows Museum this fall we will celebrate the occasion with Spanish Light: Sorolla in American Collections. Curated by renowned scholar Blanca Pons-Sorolla, the artist’s great-granddaughter, this exhibition will feature 27 compelling and rarely seen paintings from private collections in the United States, many of which will be displayed in a public museum for the first time. The exhibition will highlight Sorolla’s most popular and characteristic subjects, such as the sun-bleached sails of Valencian fishing boats, children frolicking on the shoreline, lively garden scenes, and pensive figural studies. The energetic brushstrokes of each canvas invite the visitor into the painter’s luminous world.

An accompanying catalogue featuring an essay by Pons-Sorolla will offer a new perspective on the artist and the history of collecting, examining many works that have been inaccessible to the public. This publication builds on research conducted for the Meadows Museum’s groundbreaking 2013–14 exhibition Sorolla and America, which was also curated by Pons-Sorolla. Finally, robust educational programming will further complement the exhibition and our celebration of the “year of Sorolla.” With growing worldwide interest in this important painter, the Meadows Museum—long a champion of the artist—is delighted to honor Sorolla and his enduring legacy.

This exhibition is organized by the Meadows Museum and is funded by a generous gift from The Meadows Foundation. Promotional support is provided by the Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District.