In collaboration with Spanish Cultural Action, the National Library of Spain (BNE) is presenting an exhibit entitled Latin America 1810-2010: 200 Years of Histories whereby both institutions are celebrating the bicentennials of the independence of Hispanic American republics.
The exposition pursues the objective of delving into the origin and evolution –from the 19th century to date- of the different national and continental integration discourses that have evolved in Latin America in an effort to portray how they have been expressed by means of all kinds of publications and artistic expressions.
Based on a selection of artistic assets treasured in the library and some hailing from other institutions, the exhibition reflects the plurality and cultural wealth of the American societies, as well as the continent’s evolution throughout these two centuries of history.
Commissioned by scholar Pedro Perez Herrero, director of the Institute of Latin American Studies at the University of Alcala, and Rodrigo Gutierrez, a professor of Art History at the University of Granada, the exhibit hinges on four thematic sessions: the origins of the Pan American discourse, the configuration and development of the national discourses, the interrelation of traditions, and the future challenges on the road ahead for Latin America.
Manuscripts, books, maps, illustrations, engravings, drawings, posters, oils, watercolors, stamps, sculptures and soundtracks, among other objects, paint a picture of the societies, the traditions, the literary richness, the landscape, the interracial mixture of cultures, music and the arts, let alone the expansion of Latin America in these times as part of an increasingly globalized and alien world.
