Art at Americas Society Gallery is located in a historic mansion on the corner of Park Avenue. It is an exhibition space run by Americas Society, a nonprofit organization that promotes the culture of countries across the Americas. The gallery is considered the second-oldest exhibition space in the United States dedicated to the art of Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada.
This is a small gallery that takes about an hour to explore. Unlike New York’s major museums, you do not need to spend half a day walking through its galleries, making it easy to include in a visit to the Upper East Side. Its compact size, however, does not prevent it from presenting thought-provoking exhibitions and introducing visitors to the art of a region that is not always in the spotlight at major American museums. Admission is free.
Interesting Facts About Art at Americas Society
- Before Americas Society moved into the building, it housed the Soviet Mission to the United Nations. This gave the mansion a connection to the history of the Cold War in New York.
- Throughout its history, the gallery has organized the first exhibitions in the United States for numerous artists, including Carlos Cruz-Diez, Gego, and Michael Snow.
- In 2014, the gallery held a competition among 17 Latin American artists to create a permanent artwork for its atrium. Elena Damiani won with her project Zenith, inspired by Chimborazo, a volcano in Ecuador. The installation was unveiled in 2022.
- In addition to exhibitions, Americas Society organizes free events for a variety of audiences, including families with children, students, teachers, and researchers. Guided tours in English and Spanish are also available for organized groups.
History of Art at Americas Society
The mansion was built by financier Percy Rivington Pyne. In 1910, he and his wife, Maud, purchased a plot of land at the corner of Park Avenue and 68th Street and built their family home there. The couple lived in the mansion until 1946. It was one of several similar private residences built in this part of Manhattan at the time.
After World War II, the building changed hands several times and served different purposes. In 1947, it was sold to the Chinese delegation to the United Nations, which soon transferred the mansion to the Soviet Mission. The Soviet Mission occupied the building until 1965. That same year, the Center for Inter-American Relations moved in. In 1985, it merged with Americas Society.
Exhibitions dedicated to the art of the Western Hemisphere began here as early as 1967. One of the first was Artists of the Western Hemisphere: Precursors of Modernism, 1860–1930.
Today, the mansion serves as a cultural venue for Americas Society. It hosts art exhibitions, concerts, talks with writers and scholars, and educational events.
As for its artistic program, Art at Americas Society is one of the oldest continuously operating venues in the United States dedicated to art from and about the Americas, including Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada.
Over the past several decades, the gallery has established a reputation for presenting both contemporary artists from the region and thematic exhibitions exploring diasporas, cross-cultural connections, and political and social issues.
Architecture of the Art at Americas Society Building
The mansion was designed in 1909 by the renowned New York architectural firm McKim, Mead & White. Architect Charles McKim designed the facade in red brick, accented with white limestone details. The lower part of the building is faced with rusticated limestone. The mansion is an example of the Neo-Federal style, which draws on the traditions of American architecture from the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Together with the neighboring buildings, which now house the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute and the Consulate General of Italy, the mansion forms one of the few surviving historic architectural ensembles along Park Avenue.
The building’s interiors have undergone several changes over the years. In 1966, the architectural firm Walker O. Cain & Associates carried out a restoration, seeking to return the rooms to their original appearance. Later, Mexican architect Enrique Norten and his firm TEN Arquitectos renovated the entrance hall. In November 2022, Americas Society announced the completion of another phase of the mansion’s restoration.
Art at Americas Society: Exhibitions
It’s important to note that the gallery does not position itself as a museum with a large permanent collection. Its primary focus is temporary exhibitions and published materials.
Art at Americas Society regularly hosts significant thematic exhibitions. For example:
- The Appearance: Art of the Asian Diaspora in Latin America & the Caribbean (September 4 – December 14, 2024): The first exhibition in New York to focus on the artistic practices of the Asian diaspora in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- Fanny Sanín: Geometric Equations (June 4 – July 26, 2025): Colombian-American artist Fanny Sanin’s first institutional retrospective in New York.
- Flag Series — a series of public art works installed on the façade or in the gallery space, by artists from the Americas.
- The AS Performance Series is a program of contemporary performance art from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada.
