The permanent collection of this museum dedicated to the Chilean artist Violeta Parra includes her arpilleras, hand-embroidered tableaux exhibited at the Louvre in the 1960s—the first time a Latin American artist had a solo show there. The tableaux still stand the test of time. Other works at the Santiago museum include paintings and papier-mâché sculptures that bring to mind some of her Latin American contemporaries such as Ecuadoran master painter Oswaldo Guayasamím. And yet Parra’s works are as original as the artist herself—colorful depictions of everyday life as seen through the eyes of a Renaissance woman who left her unique touch on every genre she took up. Referring to her visual productions as “painted songs,” she is best known for her music, which is played throughout the museum’s galleries so that visitors can experience the close connection between the two art forms. The collection’s small scale—only 24 works are on display—reflects the artist’s own modesty: Diminutive in stature, she made preserving Chile’s folklore and promoting its music her life’s work, traveling tirelessly both at home and abroad.
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Museo Violeta Parra
The permanent collection of this museum dedicated to the Chilean artist Violeta Parra includes her arpilleras, hand-embroidered tableaux exhibited at the Louvre in the 1960s—the first time a Latin American artist had a solo show there. The tableaux still stand the test of time. Other works at the Santiago museum include paintings and papier-mâché sculptures that bring to mind some of her Latin American contemporaries such as Ecuadoran master painter Oswaldo Guayasamím. And yet Parra’s works are as original as the artist herself—colorful depictions of everyday life as seen through the eyes of a Renaissance woman who left her unique touch on every genre she took up. Referring to her visual productions as “painted songs,” she is best known for her music, which is played throughout the museum’s galleries so that visitors can experience the close connection between the two art forms. The collection’s small scale—only 24 works are on display—reflects the artist’s own modesty: Diminutive in stature, she made preserving Chile’s folklore and promoting its music her life’s work, traveling tirelessly both at home and abroad.
