José Gómez Sicre’s Eye

With this selection of works from the Organization of American States AMA | Art Museum of the Americas’s permanent collection, the museum celebrates the centennial of the birth of its founder, José Goméz Sicre (Matanzas, Cuba 1916 – Washington, DC, USA 1991).

José Goméz Sicre's tenure began in 1946 with what was then known as the Pan-American Union (PAU) and renamed in 1948 as the Organization of American States (OAS). His forty-five years of service resulted in an extensive legacy of exhibitions, publications, historic archives, documentary films, and a museum with an unsurpassed permanent collection of modern and contemporary Latin American and Caribbean art.

His curatorial work aligned with the mission of the OAS, reflecting mid-to-late-20th century sociopolitical context.

The first section features modern masters who had already earned international recognition by the time Gómez Sicre began working at the PAU in 1946.

While at times controversial or tenacious, Goméz Sicre was a pioneer of promoting Latin American modern art in the United States, introducing young and emerging artists to U.S. audiences.

The second section shows work of then-emerging Latin American and Caribbean artists whose US careers he helped to launch during the 50’s-70’s, with the revamping of the Visual Arts Unit’s exhibitions program.

Gómez Sicre considered the PAU as a “forum of free creation for new artists by providing the opportunity that often was out of their reach in their own environment.”

Its worth lies in its uniqueness and history, its core composed of early works by young artists of the 1950s and 1970s who today are considered masters of the region.