Past Exhibitions

Americas Society’s exhibition elucidated the meaning of the symbolic, social, and artistic landscape of Mapuche culture and history. The display presented objects from the Domeyko Cassel Collection that reflect the high quality of cultural materialism, religious fervor, and political power of the Mapuche in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

In the fall of 2008, Americas Society presented Carlos Cruz-Diez’s first solo show in a major U.S. cultural institution. Focusing on the relationship between color and perception, the exhibition will increase Cruz-Diez's visibility and appreciation in the United States, one of Latin America’s Kinetic Art masters.

Over the last thirty years, Canadian artist Melvin Charney has produced a demanding and rhetorically complex body of work which lies on the cutting edge between art and architecture. These works were the focus of the exhibition at Americas Society, the first solo show by the artist in a New York museum since his P.S. 1.installation in 1979.

Torrijos: The Man and the Myth was a unique exhibition of never-before-published photographs of former Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos by Graciela Iturbide, one of Mexico's most celebrated photographers. Omar Torrijos was Panama's most famous leader (from 1968 to 1981) and is one of the best-known twentieth century figures throughout Latin America.

Americas Society presented in the Fall of 2008 Beginning with a Bang! From Confrontation to intimacy, a reflection on the utopian and destructive impulses that marked the rise of Happenings and Conceptual art in Argentina. The exhibition focused primordially on action based gesture and its evolution throughout the movement from 1960-2007.

Emancipatory Action: Paula Trope and the Meninos, curated by José Luis Falconi and Gabriela Rangel, was the first show of Paula Trope and the Meninos in the United States and focused on issues related to authorship and artistic collaboration.

Pedro Reyes’ exhibition highlighted his constant exploration into the limits of the usefulness of artistic practices in intractable social situations. The exhibition showcased the artist's research on the disputed notion of the utility of art objects and art processes.

Maya Textile Art showcased contemporary textiles juxtaposed with works of art that reflect the splendor and continuity of Mayan culture as it had spanned across centuries and continued to thrive in the present day.

This exhibition traced the broad circulation of costume books, prints, and watercolors of types and costumes as they developed in the first half of the nineteenth century, not only within South America but also across Asia and Europe.

This exhibition examined how Gurvich’s various influences—including his experiences in Israel, Uruguay, and New York—allowed him to develop one of the most sophisticated and original constructivist perspectives within modern art.