The traveling exhibition, El sentido de lo bello: Seis siglos de pintura del Museo de Arte de Ponce [The Sense of Beauty: Six Centuries of Painting from the Ponce Museum of Art] continues its successful tour of the United States. This tour coincides with the renovation of the Edward Durell Stone-designed galleries in Ponce, Puerto Rico, which were affected by the 2020 earthquakes. This exhibition features six centuries of painting by European North and American artists from the Museo de Arte de Ponce— including masterpieces by Peter Paul Rubens, Gustave Courbet, John Singer Sargent, Francisco de Goya, etc.— alongside Puerto Rican artists such as José Campeche, Myrna Báez, Francisco Rodón, and María de Mater O’Neill. Presently, the exhibition is on view at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art until September 20, 2026.
Upcoming venues for this exhibition are the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, in Hartford, Connecticut: November 5, 2026 – March 14, 2027; the Cincinnati Art Museum, in Cincinnati, Ohio: April 16, 2027 – August 8, 2027; and The Mint Museum, in Charlotte, North Carolina: September 17, 2027 – January 16, 2028. [Also see our previous post, A Sense of Beauty. See description below.]
Description: El sentido de lo bello [The Sense of Beauty] invites visitors to explore more than six centuries of Western painting through a carefully curated selection by Iraida Rodríguez-Negrón, Chief Curator of the Ponce Museum of Art. The exhibition traces the evolution of the representation of beauty, spirituality, nature, and everyday life, revealing how different styles, schools, and geographical locations have interpreted these themes throughout history. Among the most notable works are religious compositions by Lucas Cranach the Elder, Peter Paul Rubens, and Anthony van Dyck; historical and mythological scenes by Jean-Léon Gérôme and Angelica Kauffmann; portraits by Joshua Reynolds and Élisabeth Louise Vigée-Le Brun; landscapes by Claude Lorrain and Gustave Courbet; and scenes by William-Adolphe Bouguereau and James Tissot. The tour is enriched with masterpieces of Spanish art, including paintings by El Greco, José de Ribera, Francisco de Goya, Raimundo de Madrazo, and Joaquín Sorolla, along with Baroque sculptures by Pedro de Mena and José de Mora.
Similarly, Puerto Rican art occupies an essential space within the exhibition, with works by José Campeche y Jordán, Myrna Báez, Francisco Rodón, and María de Mater O’Neill. These reaffirm the enduring relevance of Puerto Rican art within the international landscape and establish it as a fundamental pillar of the exhibition.
Frederic Leighton’s “Flaming June” (1895), considered to be the jewel of the collection, shines at the heart of the exhibition. Its vibrant colors and evocative composition capture the aesthetic ideal of the 19th century. Luis A. Ferré’s pioneering vision in acquiring it allowed it to become a symbol of the Museum and its founding mission: “to cultivate a sense of beauty” as an expression of human sensibility.
For more information, see https://www.okcmoa.com/visit/events/the-sense-of-beauty/
[Shown above: Frederic Edwin Church (United States, 1826-1900), Morning in the Tropics, 1872, oil on canvas, 28 3/4 x 46 1/2 in. (73 x 118.1 cm), Museo de Arte de Ponce. The Luis A. Ferré Foundation, Inc.]
The traveling exhibition, El sentido de lo bello: Seis siglos de pintura del Museo de Arte de Ponce [The Sense of Beauty: Six Centuries of Painting from the Ponce Museum of Art] continues its successful tour of the United States. This tour coincides with the renovation of the Edward Durell Stone-designed galleries in Ponce, Puerto
