The Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University (SMU) has announced the acquisition of four new works, enhancing its collection of contemporary Spanish art. These pieces include works by renowned Spanish artists Ignasi Aballí, José Hernández, and Miguel Zapata, reflecting the museum’s commitment to showcasing significant art from the Iberian Peninsula.
Amanda W. Dotseth, Linda P. and William A. Custard Director of the Meadows Museum, highlighted the importance of these acquisitions. She stated, “The works by Ignasi Aballí, José Hernández, and Miguel Zapata are particularly significant additions to our collection. The painting by Hernández, with its haunting imagery and masterful manipulation of material, exemplifies his unique figurative style and invites viewers to contemplate the concept of vulnerability. Aballí’s conceptual piece, born of his work representing Spain at the Venice Biennale in 2022, challenges traditional notions of painting and representation, making it a thought-provoking complement to our existing contemporary Spanish art holdings. And the two multimedia works by Zapata are cornerstone pieces to understanding both his style and his unique use of materials and almost sculptural sensibility. These acquisitions reaffirm our commitment to showcasing the richness and diversity of Spanish art from the present as well as the past.”
Ignasi Aballí (b. 1958) is known for his multidisciplinary approach, which includes language-based pieces, sculptures, paintings, photographs, and videos. His work Inventario (2023), which consists of 45 digital prints, was developed for the Spanish Pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale. It features magnified photographs of Venetian façades, focusing on colors and textures while decontextualizing architectural elements. This is Aballí’s first work in the Meadows' collection and will be displayed in a special installation this fall. The acquisition was funded by The Meadows Foundation.
José Hernández (1944–2013) is recognized for his surreal and grotesque imagery. His painting Resurrection Remains (1971–72) features a monstrous protagonist set against decaying architectural elements, exploring themes of vulnerability and transience. This is the first work by Hernández to join the Meadows’ collection and was donated by Kirk Edward Long.
Miguel Zapata (1940–2014) contributed two large-scale multimedia pieces. The first, Untitled (Bullfighter on Horseback) (2007), honors Spanish bullfighting with figures of rejoneador and picadors, including an inscription referencing the contemporary bullfighting magazine 6 Toros 6. The second piece, Untitled (Religious Procession), likely created between 1973 and 2011, depicts Holy Week processions from Zapata’s childhood in Cuenca. The phrase “SPQR” on one of the flags links the composition to ancient Roman authority. Both works were donated by John L. Zogg, Jr.
These acquisitions enhance the Meadows Museum’s collection and continue its focus on contemporary Spanish art.
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.
