It was only eight years ago that Marilynn and Carl Thoma bought their first South American art—two 18th-century oval paintings on copper from Ecuador. Since then, Carl, MBA ’73, and Marilynn, MBA ’74, have amassed some 55 pieces from the Viceregal period, 1600 to 1825. Starting September 20 at the Cantor Arts Center, their collection will go on tour as the first exhibition in North America devoted to the art of the Viceroyalty of Peru—former Spanish-administered territories comprising Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia, Ecuador and parts of Argentina and Chile. The exhibition remains at Cantor through December 31, then travels to Tucson, Ariz., Puerto Rico, Toronto and Austin, Texas.
The paintings are a case study in how transplanted culture evolves. Initially, oil paintings in the region were done by artists from Italy, Spain and Flanders, while missionaries taught local artisans European techniques and Christian themes. As native artists became proficient, diverse regional schools arose and produced easel paintings for churches, government and private parties. As the exhibition title suggests—The Virgin, Saints, and Angels—Catholic themes predominate; but there are portraits as well.
