Hispanic Society Museum acquires first Portuguese paintings, Wifredo Lam work
The works extend the museum’s efforts to present Iberian and Caribbean art as part of a shared Hispanic cultural history.
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The Hispanic Society Museum & Library has acquired its first Portuguese paintings and a rare early work by Cuban modernist Wifredo Lam, expanding the New York institution’s holdings across Iberian and Caribbean art.
The acquisitions include a 16th-century painting by Portuguese Renaissance artist Fernão Gomes of the Mass of St. Gregory, an 1801 devotional work by Francisco Vieira titled Pietà of the Virgin Mary mourning the body of Christ, and a 1927 portrait of a young boy by Lam.
“These acquisitions reflect the Hispanic Society Museum & Library’s ongoing commitment to expanding and deepening its representation of the full cultural scope of the Hispanic world,” director Guillaume Kientz told Urgent Matter.
The museum defines “Hispanic” in a broad historical sense tied to Hispania, the Latin name for the Iberian Peninsula, encompassing both Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking cultures.
Kientz said the acquisitions are part of a more focused effort in recent years to expand holdings related to Portuguese, Brazilian and Luso-influenced artistic traditions.
“The recent acquisitions were made with the goal of strengthening this area of the collection in a more focused and intentional way,” Kientz said.
He added that, between 2022 and 2026, the museum acquired eight Portuguese drawings by artists including Vieira Lusitano, Fernão Gomes, Cyrillo Machado and Amorim do Vale; a Brazilian painting by Cícero Dias; a contemporary photograph by Brazilian artist and photographer Vik Muniz; and a piece of jewelry by Brazilian designer Silvia Furmanovich.
“Together, these works build on existing holdings while expanding the narrative to include a broader geographic and cultural range,” Kientz said.
He added that the museum plans to give greater visibility to Luso cultures by creating a dedicated gallery space for the display of Portuguese and Brazilian works from the collection, while also being integrated into the broader collection where appropriate to reinforce the interconnected narratives across the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking world.
“Portuguese- and Brazilian-related works are an essential part of the museum’s scope, and there are clear plans to continue expanding this area of the collection,” Kientz said. “This will allow for a more cohesive presentation while also serving as a foundation for expanded programming and interpretation.”
The work by Gomes was acquired by the museum as a gift of Philippe Esteve Mendes, who previously donated a drawing by the same artist in 2022, while the Vieira work was purchased with support from Regina and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten.
The Lam painting was acquired at a Sotheby’s auction in December 2025 with support from multiple donors, including Elizabeth and Roberto Goizueta, Celso González Falla, Marlene Alva, Mark Rosenberg, Victor and Natica Von Althan, José Rafael Fernández, Yvette Ostolaza, and Cynthia Hudson.
The acquisition of the early work by Lam comes amid a major retrospective of the Cuban-born artist’s work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Lam was heralded by Kientz as “a key figure in both Caribbean and modernist art histories.”
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