The Academy of San Carlos and Mexican Art History

The first substantial Mexican colonial art historiography in English, this book examines the origin of the study of colonial art in Mexico as a symptom of the development of modern museum practice in mid-nineteenth-century Mexico City. Also an intellectual history, this study recognizes the role of nationalism in the initiation of art historical

Ray Hernández-Durán completed his B.A. and B.F.A. at the University of Texas at Austin, his M.A. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago. He teaches the history of colonial Ibero-American arts and architecture at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

Contents: Chapter One A Historiography of Colonial Art in Mexico: Problems, Context, and Developments Chapter Two Locating a Colonial Past in the Nation's Memory: The Politics of Making History Chapter Three The Academy of San Carlos and the Old Mexican School: Collecting and Displaying Colonial Painting Chapter Four Writing a History of Art in Mexico: From Spectacular Verses to Rational Texts Chapter Five Concluding Remarks: Contested Ground