It’s the final weeks to experience two exhibitions that take guests on a fascinating and historical journey through Spain and Italy. On view at the Meadows Museum, SMU, The Legacy of Vesuvius: Bourbon Discoveries on the Bay of Naples and Unearthing the Legacy of Islamic Spain are set to close Sunday, Jan. 5.
Set during one of the most dynamic moments in Western history, The Legacy of Vesuvius: Bourbon Discoveries on the Bay of Naples looks at the groundbreaking archaeological excavations sponsored by the Bourbon King Charles VII of Naples—the future king of Spain—and his wife, Maria Amalia, and continued by his son and successor Ferdinand IV. The exhibition demonstrates their formative influence on art and thought in the Age of Enlightenment. The Meadows Museum is the sole venue for the exhibition.
Comprised of nearly 50 objects, the exhibition’s unique combination of Roman archaeological material from the excavations at Pompeii, Herculaneum and other sites, mingled with 18th-century paintings, porcelain and prints provides an exciting introduction to the archaeological treasures of this period and their formative influence on contemporary artistic production. The exhibition includes loans from Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Wellcome Collection.
In a companion exhibition to The Legacy of Vesuvius, Unearthing the Legacy of Islamic Spain explores how the Islamic monuments of the Iberian Peninsula—also being excavated after centuries of neglect—became powerful symbols of Spanish culture and identity. Drawing on the Meadows Museum’s permanent collection, SMU’s Bridwell and DeGolyer Libraries, and two local private collections, Unearthing the Legacy of Islamic Spain illuminates a moment of intense social and cultural change in Spain, when debates raged about national identity and modernization, which in turn yielded a cultural resurgence and renewed interest in Spain’s past, including its Islamic heritage.
Paintings, drawings and printed material from the 19th century reflect diverse perspectives on Spain’s long history of Muslim rule. Anchoring the exhibition is one of the medieval treasures of the Meadows Museum: an ornate marble capital of the 10th century from the palace-city of Madinat al-Zahraʾ, near Córdoba.
The Legacy of Vesuvius exhibition has been organized by the Meadows Museum, SMU, Dallas, and the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History at The University of Texas at Dallas, and is funded by a generous gift from The Meadows Foundation, with additional support provided by the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History. Unearthing the Legacy of Islamic Spain has been organized by the Meadows Museum and is funded by a generous gift from The Meadows Foundation. Promotional support for both exhibitions is provided by the Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District.
About the Meadows Museum
The Meadows Museum is the leading U.S. institution focused on studying and presenting the art of Spain. In 1962, Dallas businessman and philanthropist Algur H. Meadows donated his private collection of Spanish paintings and funds to start a museum at Southern Methodist University. The museum opened to the public in 1965, marking the first step in fulfilling Meadows’s vision to create “a small Prado for Texas.” Today, the Meadows is home to one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of Spanish art outside of Spain. The collection spans from the 10th to the 21st centuries and includes medieval objects, Renaissance and Baroque sculptures, and major paintings by Golden Age and modern masters.
The Meadows Museum is located on the SMU campus at 5900 Bishop Blvd, Dallas, Texas 75205. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, with extended hours until 9 p.m. on Thursday, and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Please note: The Meadows Museum is closed on New Year’s Day. Parking is free for museum visitors in the Meadows Parking Center underneath the museum. For more information,
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
