LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla, Oct. 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Proudly recognized as Florida’s Cultural Capital®, The Palm Beaches and its world-class arts and cultural organizations will celebrate the destination’s Spanish influences through a series of events and exhibitions during the 2024-2025 season, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the city of Boca Raton. These happenings will feature groundbreaking Spanish art exhibitions brought to the Norton Museum of Art and Boca Raton Museum of Art by the Hispanic Society Museum & Library, a renowned public museum and reference library in New York City dedicated to the study of Hispanic art and culture.
In West Palm Beach, the Norton Museum of Art will host Sorolla and the Sea, an exhibition featuring works by Joaquín Sorolla that have not left the Hispanic Society Museum & Library in over 100 years. This exhibition marks the first large-scale solo presentation of a 20th-century European painter at the Norton in 18 years.
The Boca Raton Museum of Art presents Splendor and Passion: Baroque Spain and Its Empire, featuring 57 extraordinary Baroque paintings from the Hispanic Society Museum & Library. This collection will premiere in Boca Raton before traveling to other cities across the United States.
Both of these exhibitions honor the deep Spanish influences that permeate The Palm Beaches, particularly in Boca Raton, where the city’s signature Spanish Colonial Revival aesthetic reflects the legacy of architect Addison Mizner. Mizner, inspired by his experiences in Spain and Latin America, left an indelible mark on the region’s architectural landscape. As Boca Raton celebrates its centennial in 2025, the city, known for its vibrant cultural scene, architectural history, and stunning beaches, will also spotlight Mizner’s contributions. The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum will honor Mizner’s legacy and Spanish influence by showcasing a curated collection of artifacts and furnishings, highlighting the transformation of Mizner’s best-known landmark, The Boca Raton—a 1,000-room, multifaceted waterfront resort.
From 16th and 17th-century Baroque classics at the Boca Raton Museum of Art to 19th and 20th-century contemporary masterpieces at the Norton, these exhibitions will bring over four centuries of Spanish artwork to The Palm Beaches from November 2024 through Spring 2025. For more information about these exhibitions and events, please see below and visit palmbeachculture.com/events.
- Norton Museum of Art (West Palm Beach): The Norton Museum of Art, Florida’s largest art museum, is home to a distinguished collection, with holdings in American, European, Contemporary, and Chinese Art and Photography. Founded in 1941 by Ralph Hubbard Norton and his wife, Elizabeth Calhoun Norton, the Museum collects, preserves, and exhibits art and engages visitors through exhibitions, events, and live entertainment featuring local musicians and performance artists. Public programming is year-round and designed to inspire conversations and build community through the power of art. The Museum’s expansion and renovation was led by London-based architecture firm Foster + Partners, adding a building and more than 12,000 square feet of new gallery space, an educational center, a store and restaurant, a sculpture garden, and a Great Hall that serves as the Museum’s “living room.” The campus is home to renovated, Museum-owned, 1920s-era cottages that house artists-in-residence. Visit the Museum’s website at Norton.org or connect on Instagram and Facebook.
- Sorolla and the Sea (on view from November 23, 2024, to April 13, 2025): This exhibition will host a selection of nearly 50 works by Spanish painter Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida on loan from the Hispanic Society Museum & Library. Among the works on loan are three by Sorolla’s Spanish contemporaries, presenting a greater view of Sorolla and the coastal landscapes he painted. The exhibition will also include two works by Sorolla from the Norton’s Collection. Sorolla, one of Spain’s most celebrated painters, is well known for his love of the Mediterranean, his unique ability to showcase the character of its people, and his incredible depiction of light. The exhibition will be in English and Spanish. Tickets and more information here.
- Boca Raton Museum of Art (Boca Raton): Known as the Cultural Heart of Boca Raton, the Boca Raton Museum of Art encompasses a creative campus that includes the Museum in the bustling, high-end Mizner Park shopping center and the Art School. The Museum has provided seven decades of cultural and artistic service to the community and many visitors from around the world.
- Splendor and Passion: Baroque Spain and Its Empire (on view from November 7, 2024, to March 30, 2025): Drawing from the extraordinary riches of the Hispanic Society Museum & Library’s collection of Baroque art, the exhibition explores the prominent art and history of 16th and 17th-century Spain—a period when Spanish culture boomed, and art and literature flourished. Featuring over fifty master paintings by Spain’s most renowned and influential artists, including El Greco, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, and Diego Velázquez, the exhibition will offer an unparalleled opportunity to learn about this formative period of Spanish history and to experience the most significant collection of Hispanic art outside of Spain. The exhibition will be in English and Spanish. Tickets and more information here.
- The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum (Boca Raton): The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum, home of the Boca Raton Historical Society, was founded in 1972 as a private, non-profit member organization headquartered in Historic Town Hall. Boca Raton Historical Society’s mission is to collect, preserve, and present information and artifacts relevant to the past and evolving history of Boca Raton and to maintain a visible role in education and advocacy of historic preservation in the community.
- Boca Raton 1925-2025: Addison Mizner’s Legacy (on view from November 13, 2024, to May 30, 2025): To celebrate the city’s centennial, this exhibit is sponsored by Mizner’s best-known Boca landmark, The Boca Raton, originally the Cloister Inn. The multi-media showcase will highlight Boca Raton’s past century of development that began when Addison Mizner’s skill and vision as an architect, city planner, and industrialist who produced the innovative and enduring designs that created The Boca Raton, one of the world’s ultimate resort destinations and residential communities. Tickets and more information here.
- Cultural Council for Palm Beach County (Lake Worth Beach): The Cultural Council’s mission is to nurture, promote, and support a healthy, diverse, and inclusive cultural sector in Palm Beach County. The Council hosts three exhibitions annually in their Main Gallery as a venue for Palm Beach County-based professional artists to show, share, and sell their work. The Council also hosts exhibitions in their Gayle and Paul Gross Gallery (solo exhibitions) and Donald M. Ephraim Family Gallery.
- Reflections of a Century: Celebrating Boca Raton’s 100 Years through Art (on view from January 31 to March 29, 2025): To further celebrate Boca Raton’s centennial, the Cultural Council will present both historical images of the city and contemporary works by Palm Beach County artists who pay homage to the themes of architecture, culture, and the city’s residents while also looking to the future as the famous resort destination continues to evolve. This free public exhibition is in partnership with the Boca Raton Historical Society and will take place in the Main Gallery at the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, located in The Robert M. Montgomery, Jr. Building at 601 Lake Avenue in Lake Worth Beach. Hours are Tuesdays through Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets and more information here.
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About the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County
The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County is the official support agency for arts and culture in The Palm Beaches, Florida’s Cultural Capital®. Headquartered in the historic Robert M. Montgomery, Jr. building in Downtown Lake Worth Beach, the Council presents exhibitions and performances featuring artists who live or work in Palm Beach County. The building also serves as a VISIT FLORIDA-designated Florida Certified Tourism Information Center, a helpful resource for visitors. For more information, visit www.palmbeachculture.com.
