The exhibit “Juan de Pareja, Afro-Hispanic Painter” offers an unprecedented look at the life and artistic achievements of Juan de Pareja (ca. 1608–1670). Largely known today as the subject of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s iconic portrait by Diego Velázquez, Pareja was enslaved in Velázquez’s studio for more than two decades before becoming an artist in his own right. Opening April 3, 2023, this exhibition is the first to tell his story and examine the role of enslaved artisanal labor and a multiracial society in the art and material culture of Spain’s so-called “Golden Age.” The presentation brings together approximately 40 paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts objects, as well as an array of books and historic documents, from The Met’s holdings and other collections in the United States and Europe.
“This exhibition takes us to the very heart of 17th-century Spanish painting to reveal Juan de Pareja’s incredible personal story,” said Max Hollein, Marina Kellen French Director of The Met. “By reexamining the narrative around one of the most celebrated works in the history of western portraiture, the presentation challenges us to question existing notions about historical art and objects—and introduces a remarkable artist whose name may be familiar to many but whose work had not been explored in depth.”
In the exhibition, representations of Spain’s Black and Morisco populations in works by Francisco de Zurbarán, Bartolomé Estebán Murillo, and Velázquez join works that chart the ubiquity of enslaved labor across media. The Met’s portrait, executed by Velázquez in Rome in 1650, is contextualized by his other portraits from this period and the original manumission document freeing Pareja. The exhibition culminates in the first gathering of Pareja’s rarely seen paintings, including his self-portrait, featured in his vast The Calling of Saint Matthew (Museo Nacional del Prado). Additionally, the collection and writings of Harlem Renaissance figure Arturo Schomburg—who was vital to the recovery of Pareja’s work—serve as a thread connecting 17th-century Spain with 20th-century New York.
Juan de Pareja, Afro-Hispanic Painter is co-curated by David Pullins, Associate Curator in The Met’s Department of European Paintings, and guest curator Vanessa K. Valdés, Associate Provost for Community Engagement and Professor of Spanish and Portuguese at The City College of New York. The exhibition took shape in dialogue with an external advisory committee.
The Met is offering related programming, including gallery talks, several Access events, and a Family Afternoon. A panel discussion with scholars will focus on the topics of institutional histories, collecting strategies, and the potential to rewrite history through the presentation of objects that reshape the canon. Programming details will be available on The Met website.
In conjunction with the exhibition, the Hispanic Society Museum & Library in Upper Manhattan will present a dossier exhibition, In Search of Juan de Pareja: From Arturo Schomburg to Jas Knight, that explores recent interests and responses to Pareja as an artist, a sitter, a person, and a symbol. It will feature the contemporary practice of the painter Jas Knight, who, through The Met’s Copyist Program, is creating a copy of Velázquez’s portrait of Pareja. A video documenting Knight’s process will be available on The Met’s website.
The exhibition is made possible by the Sherman Fairchild Foundation.
Major support is provided by Denise Sobel.Additional funding is provided by Laura and John Arnold, Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson, Ann M. Spruill and Daniel H. Cantwell, and The Met’s Fund for Diverse Art Histories.
This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
