Modern Movements: Selections of Latin American and Caribbean Art from the Art Museum of the Americas

Modern Movements: Selections of Latin American and Caribbean Art from the Art Museum of the Americas is an exhibition curated by Adriana Ospina that celebrates avant-garde works produced between 1940 and 1996 by artists who shaped a pan-American visual language through movements like surrealism and geometric abstraction. Featuring pieces by Roberto Matta (Chile), Sarah Grilo (Argentina), Manabu Mabe (Brazil), and Jesús Rafael Soto (Venezuela), the show charts the cultural exchanges and creative tensions fostered by Latin American artists, whose experimentations with form, color, and movement created powerful dialogues within and beyond their countries. The exhibition presents a selection of seventeen works drawn from a larger traveling exhibition that International Arts & Artists (IA&A) will tour nationally and internationally from 2027 to 2031, offering Washington, DC visitors a sneak peek of the collaboration between IA&A and the Art Museum of the Americas of the Organization of American States (AMA | OAS). A series of public programs accompanies the exhibition, including a symposium featuring emerging scholars.

When: April 4, 2026 – May 31, 2026.

Venue: IA&A at Hillyer (Hillyer), Washington, DC.

Curator: Adriana Ospina, Director of the Art Museum of the Americas of the Organization of American States and curator of the AMA Permanent Collection since 2014.

Description: The exhibition highlights works from 1940 to 1996 by well-known figures who pushed artistic boundaries. It features artists including Roberto Matta, Sarah Grilo, Manabu Mabe, and Jesús Rafael Soto, and emphasizes the avant-garde movements of surrealism and geometric abstraction. The seventeen works on view are a preview of a larger traveling exhibition that IA&A will tour from 2027 to 2031.

Featured Artists: Roberto Matta (Chile), Sarah Grilo (Argentina), Manabu Mabe (Brazil), Jesús Rafael Soto (Venezuela), and others.

Public Programs: A symposium titled “Modern Movements Symposium” will be held on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM EST. The symposium convenes emerging scholars to explore transnational exchanges, cultural diplomacy, and artistic innovations that shaped Latin American and Caribbean modern and contemporary art. The schedule includes three sessions: “Modernism and Its Discontents” (with presentations on Central American abstraction, Germán Cueto, Cildo Meireles, and hemispheric modernism), “Reframing the Hemisphere” (with talks on Sarah Grilo, Maria Martins, and Fernando de Szyszlo and Jesús Rafael Soto), and “Institutions, Exhibitions, and Cultural Diplomacy” (with papers on Andean handicrafts, Ecuadorian abstraction, and Brazil’s exhibition at FESTAC). Registration is available.

Supporting Organizations: The exhibition is presented in collaboration with the Art Museum of the Americas (AMA), part of the Organization of American States (OAS). AMA is the oldest museum of modern and contemporary Latin American and Caribbean art in the United States, with a collection of over 2,000 works by more than 400 artists. The museum uses art as a tool for cultural diplomacy, fostering mutual understanding among OAS member states.

Note: To enhance your visit, download the Bloomberg Connects app (available on Apple App Store and Google Play Store) to scan QR codes on each label for detailed information about the artworks on view.