One of the finest collections of old and modern master paintings in the world can be found in the Ponce Museum in Puerto Rico.
Through May 16, the museum is loaning 60 of its finest works to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville. The exhibition ranges from the gold-leaf idealism of the late Middle Ages to the detailed realism of the end of the 19th century. Italian, French, Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, German and Austrian schools of painting are represented by artists such as Peter Paul Rubens, Francisco de Zurbaran, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Sir Edward Burne-Jones, Anthony van Dyck and Bernardo Strozzi.
Working on every scale and through various modes of expression, these artists were inspired by classical mythology, ancient Greek and Roman history, the Bible and beauty. Well represented in the Ponce collection are the Pre-Raphaelites. In the mid- to late-1800s, these artists working in Britain had a single-minded devotion to beauty and were inspired by the art created before painter Raphael in 14th-century Italy.
The Ponce Museum was established in 1959 by Luis Ferre, governor of Puerto Rico from 1968 to 1972. His desire was to amass an encyclopedic collection of art that would allow his countrymen to witness, first-hand, the beauty of fine works created by major art historical figures.
The Frist, 919 Broadway in downtown Nashville, is open 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday and Friday; and 1-5:30 p.m. (all times Central). Admission is $10 for adults; $7 for seniors, students and military; and free for visitors 18 and younger. Call 615-244-3340.