Francisco José de Lerma y Villegas, Saint Anthony, 1740s. Oil paint on wood panel; 19⅛ × 24¾ in. Gift of Patricia Phelps de Cisneros in honor of Fernando J. Cisneros, 2019.68.
The Mayer Center for Ancient and Latin American Art sponsors symposia, publications, and other educational and scholarly programming. Thanks to the generosity of Frederick and Jan Mayer, the center has advanced the study of ancient and Latin American art.
In loving memory of Frederick R. Mayer - for his vision, passion, and generosity.
Unknown artist, Catfish Pendant. Diquis Region, Costa Rica, 800–1522 CE. Gold alloy; 4¼ × 2⅝ × ½ in. Gift of the collection of Frederick and Jan Mayer, 1995.718.
Mission
The Mayer Center at the Denver Art Museum is dedicated to increasing awareness and promoting scholarship in the study of the art of the ancient Americas and Latin America through the collections of the Denver Art Museum. To this end, the Mayer Center sponsors annual symposia and publication of their proceedings, the publication of additional volumes as seen fit, and research opportunities including a resident fellowship program.
All related programming is developed and administered by the staff of the Mayer Center at the Denver Art Museum:
- Jorge Rivas Pérez, Frederick & Jan Mayer Curator of Latin American Art
- Victoria Lyall, Frederick & Jan Mayer Curator of Art of the Ancient Americas
- Paula Contreras, Curatorial Assistant, Art of the Ancient Americas
- Lilly Barrientos, Curatorial Assistant, Latin American Art
Symposia
To date the Mayer Center has organized twenty-one international symposia on various topics in ancient and Latin American art. These events support innovative research and scholarship by well-known and up-and-coming scholars in the field.
Publications
Generous funding from Frederick and Jan Mayer supports the publication of the papers from the annual symposium. These publications feature ground-breaking essays and often include images of works that have rarely been published.
Unknown artist, Virgin of Quito, about 1750. Copper-nickel alloy, paint, and silver leaf on cedar wood; 17½ × 9½ × 6½ in. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John Pogzeba, 1974.265.
The Ancient and Latin American Art Collections
Internationally, the Denver Art Museum is unparalleled in its comprehensive representation of the major stylistic movements from all the geographic areas and cultures of Latin America. The Ancient and Latin American Art collections are exhibited in a unified presentation connecting the arts of the Americas. Included are ancient masterworks of ceramic, stone, gold and jade, as well as paintings, sculpture, furniture and silver from the Spanish Colonial Period, and modern and contemporary Latin American art.
