El Museo del Barrio and Aspen Conexión Host Latinx Art Market Symposium
Leaders from museums, galleries and auction houses gathered at El Museo del Barrio to examine U.S. Latinx art's market rise. They debated infrastructure gaps and strategies borrowed from Latin America's two-decade success.
This spring, El Museo del Barrio and Aspen Conexión, a division of the Aspen Institute, hosted a half-day symposium titled “The Rise of the U.S. Latino Art Market: Lessons from Latin America.” The event convened artists, curators, museum directors, and market insiders in El Museo’s Teatro space to assess the growing visibility of Latinx art and the systemic work required to sustain it.
Aspen Conexión, formerly known as Latinos & Society, frames Latino impact as a hemispheric story spanning business, culture, finance, and the arts. As executive director Pilar Frank O’Leary put it, Latino communities are shaping markets and influencing global demand across the Americas. El Museo board chair Karla Harwich acknowledged the increased visibility as “a profound cultural shift” while stressing the need for sustained institutional and market investment.
A central theme was learning from Latin American art’s market rise over the past two decades. Diego Deleersnyder, managing director of Aspen Conexión, argued that Latin American art’s success was built intentionally through institutions, collectors, galleries, and fairs—a path U.S. Latinx art is still beginning. Diego Costa Peuser of the Pinta Group outlined strategies including expanding art weeks to Santo Domingo and Panama City, noting that growth requires sustained work rather than spontaneity.
Market Signals and Institutional Placement
Panelists offered concrete market evidence. Adviser Gabriela Palmieri cited Leonora Carrington’s auction record reset twice in two years, from $3.3 million in 2022 to $25.8 million in 2024. She also noted how Wifredo Lam’s The Jungle (1942–43), long relegated to a spot near MoMA’s elevators, received pride of place in a 2024 retrospective. Sotheby’s specialist Emily C. Nice provided historical context, noting the auction house began Latin American art sales after a 1977 trip to Mexico.
Artist Emilio Perez, featured in the survey “Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way,” questioned the utility of labels, emphasizing connection with broad audiences. Palmieri summed up the mood: “Context is key, placement is seminal, and excitement is real.”
Decolonizing Visibility
The second panel, “Decolonizing the Art System,” centered on visibility and infrastructure. Patricia Hanna of the Jorge M. Pérez Collection and El Espacio 23 underscored the need for works to be seen in institutions. El Espacio 23 shows its collection annually during Art Basel Miami Beach. El Museo’s Susanna V. Temkin highlighted La Trienal, relaunched in 2021, as a platform that led to acquisitions by major institutions; the Pérez collection acquired works from it.
Silvia Cubiñá of the Bass Museum cautioned against direct comparisons with Latin America, citing population disparity—673 million versus 68 million—and distinct local ecosystems. She praised El Museo’s role in building infrastructure, calling it “the way forward.”
Keynote and Takeaways
E. Carmen Ramos of the National Gallery of Art delivered the keynote, acknowledging progress but stressing continued underrepresentation: “Our field... still fails to fully recognize the realities facing many Latinx artists and institutions.” She called galleries, collectors, and critics “essential partners.”
Progress is built over the long haul through conviction, collaboration, and the courage to imagine something better.
The symposium closed with Deleersnyder noting the undeniable demographic and economic momentum, aiming to grow infrastructure for Latinx art across institutions and borders.
