Patricia Phelps de Cisneros
Patricia "Patty" Phelps de Cisneros is a philanthropist originally from Venezuela and now a citizen of the Dominican Republic. She is known for her extensive collection of modern and contemporary art from Latin America, particularly from Brazil, Venezuela, and the Río de la Plata region of Argentina and Uruguay. Since the 1970s, Cisneros has been actively involved in supporting education and the arts, with a specific emphasis on Latin America. Alongside her husband, Gustavo A. Cisneros, she co-founded the Fundación Cisneros, which is based in both New York City and Caracas. During the 1990s, the primary art-related initiative of the Fundación became the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros. In 2016, Cisneros made a significant donation of 102 modern and contemporary artworks, created between the 1940s and 1990s, to the Museum of Modern Art. This generous gift led to the establishment of the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Research Institute for the Study of Art from Latin America at MoMA.
Gustavo Cisneros
Gustavo Alfredo Jiménez de Cisneros Rendiles, born on June 1, 1945, is a prominent Venezuelan entrepreneur who currently serves as the Chairman of Grupo Cisneros.
Featured in the prestigious Top 200 list of art collectors
Patricia Phelps de Cisneros and Gustavo A. Cisneros, prominent figures in the international business conglomerate, embarked on their art collecting journey in 1970. Since 1990, they have been consistently featured in the prestigious Top 200 list of art collectors. Their remarkable collection encompasses the works of some of Latin America's most renowned artists, such as Lygia Clark, Gego, Raúl Lozza, Hélio Oiticica, Jesús Rafael Soto, and Rhod Rothfuss. Beyond their art collection, the couple is distinguished for their philanthropic efforts through a foundation based in both New York and Caracas, which strongly advocates for education in Latin America and supports scholarship initiatives worldwide. Their dedication has been directed towards the art of the 20th century in the Latin American region, with a primary objective of elevating its global prominence to the same level as European art from the same period. In addition to curating various exhibitions, their foundation has published an array of books that contribute to art scholarship.
The inception of the Cisneros collection commenced with the acquisition of "Tiritaña," a geometrically abstract artwork created by Spanish artist Manuel Rivera, characterized by interlocking wire mesh. Subsequent acquisitions followed a similar stylistic vein, solidifying their collection's focus on Latin American abstraction. In a significant philanthropic move in 2017, the couple pledged to donate 102 artworks to the Museum of Modern Art in New York and establish a research institute dedicated to Latin American art on the museum's 53rd Street campus. Furthermore, they generously bestowed 119 works of Latin American colonial art upon institutions including the Blanton Museum of Art, the Denver Art Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Hispanic Society Museum & Library, and the Museo de Arte de Lima. These gifts formed the basis of a traveling exhibition. In 2018, the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Foundation announced its intention to donate 202 artworks to six museums, with 88 of these significant pieces finding a new home at MoMA. This generous gesture coincided with the museum's reopening, featuring the exhibition "Sur moderno: Journeys of Abstraction." This exhibition spotlighted abstract and concrete art created in the 1950s and '60s in Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, and Uruguay, prominently showcasing the Cisneros donations.
Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros
History
During the 1970s, while journeying across Latin America alongside her spouse, Gustavo Cisneros, Patricia Phelps de Cisneros dedicated her time to immersing herself in the vibrant world of art. This involved visiting artists within the intimate settings of their studios and exploring the rich tapestry of art on display in local galleries and museums. It was during this period that she took an active role in the acquisition and accumulation of art pieces, with a particular emphasis on indigenous artworks procured during her frequent expeditions through Venezuela, notably in the Orinoco region nestled within the Amazon River Basin.
As her collection continued to flourish, Patricia Phelps de Cisneros recognized a stark imbalance in the representation of Latin American art within the global art arena. This realization prompted the establishment of the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros (CPPC) in the 1990s. The overarching mission of this initiative was to elevate the visibility and influence of Latin American art history, thus reshaping the perception and appreciation of this vibrant artistic tradition.
To fulfill this mission, CPPC embarked on a comprehensive four-pronged strategy:
Global Art Outreach: CPPC embraced an ambitious endeavor to lend its artworks to exhibitions and institutions across the globe, thereby expanding the horizons through which Latin American art could be experienced and appreciated.
Scholarly Engagement: Collaborative partnerships with scholars and academics were cultivated to delve deeper into the lives and works of the artists featured within their collection. This scholarly collaboration enriched the understanding and discourse surrounding each artist's unique contribution.
Publication Endeavors: CPPC initiated a dedicated publications program, producing a series of scholarly works that offered invaluable insights into the artists and their creative oeuvres. These publications provided a robust scholarly context for the featured artists and their works.
Digital Art Platform: Recognizing the transformative influence of the digital age, CPPC ventured into the digital realm by establishing an engaging online platform. This digital forum served as an interactive space where their art collection could be presented and explored by a global audience, fostering dialogues and fostering a deeper appreciation for Latin American art within the digital landscape.
Through these meticulously devised strategies and initiatives, CPPC has played a pivotal role in reshaping the perception and global recognition of Latin American art, ensuring that it receives the widespread prominence and acclaim it justly merits within the international art community.
Collection
The Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros (CPPC) is renowned for its distinguished assemblage of Modernist geometric abstraction art from Latin America. It also encompasses an array of noteworthy collections, including Latin American landscapes captured by traveling artists during the 17th to 19th centuries, furniture and art hailing from Latin America's colonial era, contemporary artworks from the region, and a significant compilation of art and artifacts originating from the indigenous communities of Venezuela's Amazonas region, known as the Orinoco Collection. At its core, the mission of the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros is to enrich the appreciation of the diversity, sophistication, and breadth of Latin American art.
Patricia Phelps de Cisneros embarked on her journey of art acquisition by gradually acquiring geometric abstract artworks that had previously been overlooked or undervalued. Over time, this endeavor evolved into a substantial collection of 20th-century Latin American abstract art. Her dedication to the art world has been consistently acknowledged, as evidenced by her inclusion in top collector lists every year since 1998. Notably, Cisneros has actively contributed to the global art community by generously lending her collections to international exhibitions and institutions since 1999.
Cisneros attributes her profound appreciation for responsible stewardship as a collector to her great-grandfather, William H. Phelps, who meticulously documented his ornithological collection. She also attributes her aesthetic sensibilities to her upbringing in the modernist milieu of Caracas during the 1950s and 1960s.
The collection itself is meticulously organized into five distinct categories, each representing a specific area of focus:
- Modern Art: This category encompasses the remarkable collection of Modernist geometric abstraction art from Latin America.
- Contemporary Art: It includes an array of contemporary artworks from the Latin American art scene.
- Colonial Art: This section features exquisite artworks and furniture dating back to Latin America's colonial period.
- Orinoco Collection: An ethnographic collection that meticulously traces the cultural contributions of 12 indigenous groups residing in the Orinoco River Basin.
- Traveler Artists to Latin America Collection: A collection that showcases the artistic endeavors of travelers who documented their experiences in Latin America during the 17th to 19th centuries.
In sum, the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros stands as a testament to the commitment and passion of its founders, Patricia Phelps de Cisneros and Gustavo Cisneros, in championing Latin American art and culture, and it continues to significantly contribute to the global appreciation of this rich artistic heritage.
Partnerships
Cisneros and the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros have forged enduring partnerships with numerous cultural institutions on a global scale. These collaborations include esteemed organizations such as Tate Modern and Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, among others.
In a notable philanthropic gesture in 2010, the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Professorship in Latin American Art at Hunter College was established through a generous $1 million donation.
Cisneros has maintained a longstanding association with the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. Her commitment to advancing the recognition and valuation of Latin American art globally was underscored by her substantial donation to MoMA in 2016. This donation, comprising 102 modern and contemporary Latin American artworks spanning from the 1940s to the 1990s, led to the establishment of the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Research Institute for the Study of Art from Latin America at MoMA. Notable artists featured in this transformative gift include Lygia Clark, Lygia Pape, Jesús Rafael Soto, Alejandro Otero, and Tomás Maldonado. The donation also encompasses works by prominent figures such as Willys de Castro, Hélio Oiticica, Juan Mele, Mira Schendel, and Gego.
The Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Research Institute for the Study of Art from Latin America signifies a significant milestone in the promotion and research of Latin American art. In 2018, Inés Katzenstein was appointed as the director of this newly established institute, alongside her role as the Curator of Latin American Art at MoMA.
In January 2018, a momentous announcement was made regarding the donation of over 200 artworks, many of which were created by contemporary artists. These generous contributions were destined for six distinguished institutions: MoMA, which would receive 90 artworks; the Bronx Museum of the Arts; the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, Spain; the Museo de Arte Moderno in Buenos Aires, Argentina; the Museo de Arte de Lima in Lima, Peru; and the Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas, Austin, in Austin, Texas. The donated artworks include pieces by renowned artists such as Amalia Pica (Argentina), Jac Leirner (Brazil), Luis Camnitzer (Uruguay), and Regina José Galindo (Guatemala).
Furthermore, as part of a commemorative discussion marking the beginning of the collection's fifth decade of art acquisition in February 2018, Cisneros revealed her plans to donate over 100 images from the collection of traveler artists who worked in Latin America to Wikimedia Commons. This gesture aims to make these captivating images accessible to a broader audience and enrich the digital cultural heritage.
Selena Mattei
