Art news

Rare Caravaggio masterpiece goes on display for a limited time in Texas

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Martha and Mary Magdalene, c. 1598, oil and tempera on canvas.

Photo courtesy of Dallas Museum of Art

While visitors descend on the Dallas Museum of Art for its groundbreaking Dior fashion exhibition this summer, they also have the rare opportunity to see a 16th-century masterwork by Caravaggio.

Martha and Mary Magdalene (c. 1598, oil on canvas) is on loan to the DMA from the Detroit Institute of Arts from June 23 to September 22, 2019. It is such an important work that it gets displayed alone in a gallery space as its own exhibition "Caravaggio: Martha and Mary Magdalene," curated by Julien Domercq, the museum's new Lillian and James H. Clark Assistant Curator of European Art.

The painting depicts Mary Magdalene from the Bible — regarded by the Catholic Church at the time to be a prostitute — experiencing a spiritual awakening as her sister Martha counts on her fingers the reasons she should convert. "Caravaggio conveys the moment of Mary’s conversion — a challenging subject — through his treatment of light, which casts a divine glow on the reformed sinner," the museum explains in a release.

It is considered a masterpiece by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610), who was active in Italy between 1592 and 1610 and then became known as one of the greatest Baroque painters of the 17th century — along with Rubens, Velázquez, Rembrandt, and Poussin, the DMA reminds.

"He revolutionized painting and laid the foundation for 17th-century Baroque art through his theatrical compositions and gritty realism observed from life," the release says. "At the heart of Caravaggio’s groundbreaking style are his reduced color schemes, somber backgrounds, and dramatic lighting effects produced by sharp light and dark contrasts (chiaroscuro). The artist’s creation of a shallow, stage-like setting pushes the figures up close to the viewer, as though the event is unfolding in our own space and time."

Fewer than 10 paintings by Caravaggio are housed in the United States, on view in the collections of only six museums, the DMA says. It is included in free general admission at the Dallas museum.

Visitors can learn more about Caravaggio and this work in a series of public programs, including:

Arts & Letters Live: Caravaggio’s Life and Art. Domercq discusses Caravaggio’s painting Martha and Mary Magdalene. Then Andrew Graham-Dixon, one of the leading art critics and presenters of arts television, will discuss his acclaimed biography Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane, which was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize for nonfiction and was a New York Times Notable Book. July 16, 7:30 pm.

Gallery Talk. A discussion about Caravaggio with the DMA's Domercq. August 7, 12:15 pm.

Exhibition Talk: Caravaggio's Revolutionary Road. Featuring Eve Straussman-Pflanzer, head of the European Art Department and Elizabeth and Allan Shelden Curator of European Paintings at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Event is sponsored by the Consulate General of Italy, Houston. September 19, 7 pm.

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New Texas museum shines spotlight on Tejano music history

Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum, San Antonio, tejano music

Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Roger Hernandez serves as board president of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum.

For a city that proudly calls itself the capital of Tejano music, San Antonio has long been missing a permanent place to honor the genre’s pioneers and preserve its history. That gap officially closed In December with the opening of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum at 1414 Fredericksburg Rd.

The music couldn’t have found a better steward than its founder and board president. Roger Hernandez has had his finger on the pulse of Tejano music for decades. His company, En Caliente Productions, has provided a platform for countless performing artists and songwriters in Tejano, conjunto, and regional Mexican music since 1982.

Hernandez says his wife, who ran a shop at Market Square years ago, would often get questions from visitors about the location of a physical Tejano music museum, a thing that simply did not exist. In 2022, he banded together with friends, family, and other local Tejano music supporters to make the nonprofit Hall of Fame a reality.

“I decided I've been in the music scene for over 40 years, it's time to do a museum,” Hernandez recalls.

Hernandez says a brick-and-mortar Tejano music museum has long been needed to remember musical acts and other individuals who grew the genre across Texas and northern Mexico, especially those who are aging. Recently, the community lost famed Tejano music producer Manny Guerra and Abraham Quintanilla, the renowned Tejano singer/songwriter and father of the late superstar Selena Quintanilla-Perez. Both deaths occurred roughly one week after the Totally Tejano museum opened to the public.

“They're all dying. They're all getting older, and we need to acknowledge all these people,” Hernandez says.

The Totally Tejano Museum — named after Hernandez’s Totally Tejano Television Roku streaming — has 5,000 square feet of space packed with plaques, photos, promotional posters, musical instruments, and other memorabilia honoring the pioneers and stars of the beloved genre. Mannequins wear stage outfits from icons like Laura Canales and Flaco Jimenez, and a wall of photos remembers late greats. Totally Tejano Television plays legendary performances on a loop, bringing the exhibits to life.

The newly opened Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum includes a growing collection of memorabilia. Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Hernandez says the museum will soon welcome permanent and rotating exhibits, including traveling shows, a Hall of Fame section, and an area paying homage to Chicano music crossovers, such as the late Johnny Rodriguez, the South Texas singer-songwriter who blended country with Tex-Mex music. Plans call for the organization to hold its inaugural Hall of Fame induction in February 2026.

Eventually, a 2,000 square feet back room will be converted into additional display space and host industry gatherings, community symposiums, and record and video release parties. The museum also plans to add a gift and record shop and a music learning room where visitors can listen to early Tejano music and browse archival photos. Hernandez is already talking with local school districts about educational field trips.

Much like Tejano itself, the museum is a grassroots production. Hernandez and fellow board members have used their own money to rent, renovate, develop, and maintain the museum space. The board also leads the selection of the Hall of Fame honorees and curates the exhibits.

Hernandez has been heartened by the museum’s reception, both from media outlets and music fans around Texas and beyond.

“We had a radio station come in this morning from Houston to interview us,” he says. “People have come in from Lubbock, Texas. We have had people from Midland, Texas. We have another person who emailed us who’s coming in from New York. People are learning all about us.”

That includes many of the musicians who helped shape the genre. Johnny Hernandez, Sunny Ozuna, Elida Reyna, and Danny Martinez from Danny and The Tejanos are among the luminaries who have already graced the halls.

The Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum is now open 10 am-6 pm, Tuesday-Sunday, and closed Monday. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged. Fans can call 210-314-1310 for more information.

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