SAM is honored to host a major exhibition of Peruvian art that includes rarely seen sculpture, metalwork, painting and textiles spanning 3,000 years. Visitors will be introduced to the rich heritage of ancient Peru, including superb works of the Mochica, Chimu and Inca cultures. Important paintings and sculptures from the Colonial and Vice-royal eras demonstrate the initial influence of Christianity, seen in radiant paintings of saints and liturgical processions. Artworks created after independence from Spain show the creative syncretism between indigenous and Spanish traditions, followed by examples of the rich aesthetic of 20th-century paintings and folk art. Taking a novel approach to Peruvian art, the thematic organization reveals cross currents of ideas and artistry through time and the symbolic role that art plays in the construction of cultural identity.

Peru: Kingdoms of the Sun and the Moon and accompanying catalogue bring together new research by well-known scholars in many fields. Select examples from SAM’s collection will also be on view.

–Chiyo Ishikawa, Susan Brotman Deputy Director for Art and Curator of European Painting and Sculpture; and Barbara Brotherton, Curator of Native American Art

Educational Resources
To explore this exhibition a little deeper download our bibliography.

Set of Ornaments, AD 1000–1476, Chimú culture, North coast, gold, silver and copper alloy, 46.6 x 21.9 cm (approx.), Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera, Lima