17th Century Painting Finds New Home at TAMIU with Leyendecker Gift
Written by Post Public Information Representative, Dec 13, 2016, Comments Off
Courtesy Steve Harmon,
Laredo, Texas- Students and visitors to Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) can now view an impressive addition to the University’s growing art collection. Last week, Laredoan Anthony Leyendecker, Jr. provided a gift of a large-scale 17th Century painting of St. John the Baptist to the University.
The painting, created circa 1690s by famed Mexican artist Juan Correa, will hang in the University’s Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library. Leyendecker explained that the painting has been a part of this family’s heart and home for years.
“This has hung in my parent’s, Anthony and Maria’s home for many years, and has always been a source of great affection and inspiration. I wanted this to be available to the students at Texas A&M International University so that they too could appreciate its beauty and power,” Leyendecker said.
Leyendecker said the painting came to the attention of his family through a well-known art historian, the late Aquiles Sepúlveda of Monterrey, Nuevo León, México. It was originally acquired in Mexico City. Correa’s work, created in oil in the Baroque style, is customarily hung in cathedrals, and known for its emotional depth, attention to detail and often stunning size. The canvas at TAMIU, surrounded by a gilded, ornate frame, measures 5.5 X 6 feet.
TAMIU vice president for Institutional Advancement, Rosanne Palacios, said the Leyendecker gift further elevates the University’s art collection and hopes it encourages more growth for the collection.
“This is a remarkable, deeply moving addition to the University and helps to further distinguish our collection and the University experience. From the ceramic and mixed works housed in the Helen Richter Watson Gallery, to new additions like the Stained Glass Window by Evan Quiros in our Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, the Heritage Edition of the St. John’s Bible, and the ongoing Chicana Portrait Series by Raquel Valle-Senties, the University is a home for and destination for art. This powerfully elevates the TAMIU experience for our students, our faculty and our community, and we are most appreciative of the vision gifts like Mr. Leyendecker’s and others can represent,” Palacios explained.
