african and indigenous heritages
El Museo was created at a moment when Taíno and African heritages were being reconsidered as fundamental to Puerto Rican cultural identity. This framework informs this section, which includes Taíno artifacts in dialogue with contemporary artworks created by Nuyorican and Puerto Rican artists including Diógenes Ballester, Nitza Tufiño, and Héctor Méndez-Caratini. These are juxtaposed with modern artworks from throughout the Americas such as the Orisha-inspired prints by Rubem Valentim and the fanciful animal paintings by Amazonian Indigenous artist Chico da Silva.
Highlights
Chico da Silva, Untitled, not dated. Gouache on paper, mounted on Masonite. Collection El Museo del Barrio, New York, Museum Purchase. 2021.05.001
Luis Cruz Azaceta, Still Life: 500 Years of Colonialism, 1992. Collection of El Museo del Barrio, New York. Gift of Yolanda Santos. 2008.34.
![Marcos Dimas, Tiempo Pasado, 1975. Collection of El Museo del Barrio, New York. Museum Purchase through a matching grant from the National Endowment for the Arts [purchased on or prior to 1982]. P92.43.](https://www.elmuseo.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/d_YnHjTg-1.jpg){kind=link}
Marcos Dimas, Tiempo Pasado, 1975. Collection of El Museo del Barrio, New York. Museum Purchase through a matching grant from the National Endowment for the Arts [purchased on or prior to 1982]. P92.43.
![Diógenes Ballester, Totemism, 1989. Collection of El Museo del Barrio, New York. Museum Purchase [1991 via The Ford Foundation]. W92.7.](https://www.elmuseo.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/1992-0007W_A_01_01.jpg){kind=link}
Diógenes Ballester, Totemism, 1989. Collection of El Museo del Barrio, New York. Museum Purchase [1991 via The Ford Foundation]. W92.7.
Raphael Montañez Ortiz, The Memorial to the Sadistic Holocaust Destruction of Millions of Our Ancient Arawak-Taino-Latinx Ancestors Begun in 1492 by Columbus and His Mission to, With the Conquistadores, Colonize and Deliver to Spain the Wealth of the New World No Matter the Human Cost to the New Worlds Less Than Human Aborigine Inhabitants..., 2019–2020. Collection of El Museo del Barrio, New York. Gift of the artist, 2020. 2020.7a-b.
Héctor Méndez-Caratini, Fuegos artificiales en honor al Santiago Apóstol, 1979 and 1981 (original) / 2010 (print). Collection of El Museo del Barrio, New York. Gift of the artist and Nannette G. Méndez López. 2012.19.3.
Juan Sánchez, Victoria de Samotracia (Afro-Taína), 2000. Collection of El Museo del Barrio, New York. Gift of Juan E. Sánchez and Julia P. Herzberg in honor of Susana Torruella Leval. 2002.8.
Rubem Valentim, Untitled, 1990. Collection of El Museo del Barrio, New York. Gift of Lucia Valentim. W93.168.1.
Chico Tabibuia, Untitled, 1998. Collection El Museo del Barrio, New York. Gift of Paulo Pardal. 2001.15.
Taíno, Amulet, A.D. 1200–1500. Collection of El Museo del Barrio, New York. Gift of Dicey Taylor. PC2000.8.1.
Taíno, Three-Pointer, A.D. 1200–1500. Collection of El Museo del Barrio, New York. Deposited in perpetuity by Dr. Ricardo Alegría. PC2000.9.1.
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