The Diplomat
The Fundación Consejo España-EEUU yesterday presented the 10th Bernardo de Gálvez Award to the Meadows Museum of Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas, at a ceremony held at the Teatro Real in Madrid.
With this recognition, the Foundation highlights the role of the art gallery, devoted exclusively to the study and dissemination of Spanish art since its foundation in 1965 following the donation of the private collection of the philanthropist Algur H. Meadows (1899-1978), for acting as “Spain’s permanent cultural embassy in the United States”.
The museum’s director, Amanda Dotseth, the first woman to hold the post in the history of the institution, received the award from the President of the Spain-US Council Foundation, Josu Jon Imaz. The State Secretary for Foreign and Global Affairs, Ángeles Moreno Bau, as well as Sam Holland, Dean of the Meadows School of the Arts, and Peter Miller, President of the Meadows Foundation, were also present.
After receiving the award, Amanda Dotseth said that the institution’s mission is clear: to be the place of excellence in the study of Spanish art and culture in the United States. “The Bernardo de Gálvez Award is a remarkable recognition of our past successes and our future potential in this great endeavour,” she said.
The museum’s director emphasised that “over the past 60 years, the institution has striven to fulfil and expand the vision of the founder”. She added: “I speak for many people when I say that we are very grateful for this recognition”.
For his part, Josu Jon Imaz emphasised the importance of the work of figures such as Gálvez and Meadows in the links between Spain and the United States. The history of relations between our countries,” he said, “is, to a large extent, the personal history of Algur Meadows, Archer Huntington, Bernardo de Gálvez and so many other figures who have brought us closer together and who still inspire the work of such great institutions as the Meadows Museum, the Meadows Foundation and SMU”.
In her speech at the event, Ángeles Moreno Bau highlighted the excellent state of relations between Spain and the United States and the importance of educational and cultural exchange in strengthening them, highlighting the role of the Meadows Museum as “one of the main agents” in this scenario.
Over the last two decades, the Meadows Museum has cultivated a fruitful relationship with major Spanish art galleries and cultural institutions such as the Museo Nacional del Prado, the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, the Museo Nacional de Escultura de Valladolid, the Fundación MAPFRE, the Fundación Juan March and the Fundación Gala-Salvador Dalí, regularly collaborating in the organisation of major international temporary exhibitions and research programmes.
The Meadows currently has one of the most extensive and complete collections of Spanish art outside Spain. The collection spans from the 10th to the 21st century and includes medieval objects, Renaissance and Baroque sculpture and outstanding paintings from the Golden Age, as well as modern masters, including El Greco, Velázquez, Ribera, Murillo, Goya, Zuloaga, Sorolla, Miró, Dalí, Picasso, Fortuny, Gris and Tàpies.
The Award is named after the former governor of Louisiana and viceroy of New Spain, the politician and military man from Malaga, Bernardo de Gálvez (1746 – 1786), founder of the city of Galveston (Texas) and a decisive figure in the triumph of George Washington’s armies in the fight for the independence of the Thirteen Colonies.
The award recognises individuals and institutions that have promoted cooperation between Spain and the United States, helping to improve reciprocal knowledge and relations between the two countries. Previous winners have included the Hispanic Society of America, Senators Bob Menendez and Tim Kaine, and the Library of Congress, among others.
