“The Prado in Las Cruces” is a free exhibit on display at Plaza Place next to the Plaza de Las Cruces in downtown through November 28. The City invites the community to experience, admire, and reflect on the artwork of The Prado in Las Cruces during the final two weeks of the prestigious exhibit that the city has hosted over the last several months.
Since it opened in September, more than 17,000 people have visited the exhibit, with 184 people having been given themed tours. The Las Cruces Museums will continue to provide free weekly 30-45 minute tours on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m., and on Saturday at 2:30 p.m., but are also accepting tours at other times by appointment. The tours will meet at the exhibit on Plaza Place.
Phil San Filippo, director of economic development, was pleased with the response from the community, commenting on the success of the exhibit: “The Prado Exhibit is another sign that downtown Las Cruces is becoming the arts and cultural center for Southern New Mexico and the Borderplex area. The Prado Exhibit is a world class exhibit, and Las Cruces is fortunate to be one of the few cities in the US to host this amazing art collection.”
New Mexico was the first state in North America to host the travelling exhibit and was made possible in Las Cruces by the efforts of the Museo Nacional del Prado, the American Friends of the Prado Museum, the New Mexico Multi-Cultural Foundation, The Las Cruces Museum System, Visit Las Cruces, the Economic Development Department, and Heritage Hotels & Resorts, Inc.
Museo Nacional del Prado – the Prado Museum – is one of the world’s most prestigious fine art museums and boasts one of the finest collections of European art originating from the Spanish Royal collection. The Prado in Las Cruces is an educational outdoor exhibit displaying 92 masterpieces from the Prado Museum’s collection, photographically reproduced at a 1:1 scale. The collection features artwork of Diego Velázquez, Francisco de Goya, Titian, Rubens, and El Greco among others. The exhibit was listed as one of USA Today’s “Top 25 Must-See Exhibits in 2017”.
The outdoor location and free admission allows this traveling exhibit to expose art to new audiences of a variety of demographics while continuing the Prado’s tradition of supporting cultural preservation and the advancement of historical knowledge and art to the people.
The following individuals sponsored pieces from the exhibit to benefit the Foundation for Las Cruces Museums: James R. Fromm, Laurie A. Smith, and Ron Fitzherbert.
For more information contact the Museum of Art Curator of Education Bryan Lee at 575/541-2217, or by email at blee@las-cruces.org