June 26, 2025

Minneapolis—The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) announces the acquisition of eight exceptional works spanning nearly eight centuries, from a rare 13th-century Limoges enameled gemellion to contemporary photography by Carrie Mae Weems. These diverse acquisitions significantly strengthen key areas of the museum’s collection while addressing important gaps in others. Highlights include: a pair of monumental pedestals by Giacomo Raffaelli featuring the largest micromosaic compositions the artist ever attempted; an early Sèvres porcelain vase in the legendary “bleu nouveau” glaze; a winter landscape by Blanche Hoschedé-Monet marking a pivotal moment in the artist’s emergence from Claude Monet’s tutelage; and a technically masterful Oribe tea bowl from early 17th-century Japan. Also acquired is the museum’s first Latin American colonial religious painting—a Virgin of Guadalupe painting attributed to the circle of artist Manuel de Arellano—that continues building one of Mia’s newer collecting areas.

“These remarkable acquisitions demonstrate our ongoing commitment to building a truly global collection that honors artistic excellence across time periods and cultures,” said Katie Luber, Nivin and Duncan MacMillan Director and President of Mia. “These works will enhance our visitors’ understanding of the diverse artistic traditions that have shaped human expression, from 13th-century France to 17th-century Japan, to the United States in the 2020s. Whether we are filling crucial gaps in our holdings—like our first colonial Latin American religious painting—or strengthening existing collections, our goal remains the same: to present the most compelling and comprehensive story of art’s power to illuminate the human experience across centuries and continents.”

Painting the Town #4, 2021 (printed 2024), Carrie Mae Weems (American, born 1953)

This pigment print by Carrie Mae Weems exemplifies the artist’s masterful ability to transform documentary photography into profound social commentary and significantly strengthens Mia’s contemporary photography holdings. At first glance, Painting the Town #4 appears to be an abstract composition of vibrant painted rectangles, reminiscent of Mark Rothko or Robert Motherwell. Closer examination reveals it to be a boarded-up Portland storefront—complete with knotty plywood and covered graffiti—photographed in 2021, during the aftermath of the 2020 protests following George Floyd’s murder. Weems’ art historical references are deliberate. By evoking abstract expressionist aesthetics in this pandemic-era streetscape, she lures in viewers but then confronts them with the raw signifiers of contemporary social upheaval.

Part of her acclaimed Painting the Town series, this work represents the rare pandemic project that transcends mere documentation. One of America’s most influential living artists, Weems’ four-decade career has consistently given voice to silenced stories while investigating the intersections of history, identity, and power.

Virgen de Guadalupe, 1700–50, Circle of Manuel de Arellano (Mexican, 1662–1722)

This exceptional oil on canvas represents a pivotal addition to Mia’s collection as the first Latin American religious image from the colonial period, from which distinctive artistic traditions emerged with the Spanish imposition of Catholicism blending with Indigenous religions. Attributed to the circle of Manuel de Arellano, the renowned Mexican artist who, along with his father Antonio, operated a prominent studio in Mexico City during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, this work exemplifies the innovative approach the Arellanos brought to traditional Guadalupe iconography.

The Virgin of Guadalupe depicted here represents one of the most widely recognized and culturally significant religious images in the Americas—an enduring symbol, declared patroness of New Spain in 1746 and later empress of the Americas in 1933. The painting synthesizes diverse iconographic traditions: The dark-skinned Virgin wears a light-pink tunic with golden floral motifs and a star-covered blue mantle, standing on a crescent moon supported by an angel whose wings bear the colors of the Mexican flag. This blends the Virgin of the Apocalypse imagery from Revelation with Immaculate Conception iconography, while incorporating Indigenous elements that reflect the legend of the Virgin’s appearance to Juan Diego at Tepeyac Hill, a site sacred to the Aztec goddess Tonantzin.

Enameled gemellion with horse and rider, c. 1250–75, Limoges, France

This exceptional enameled gemellion represents a significant addition to the museum’s medieval collection and showcases the full splendor of Limoges champlevé enamel technique on gilded copper, demonstrating the workshop traditions that made this French city renowned throughout medieval Europe. Moreover, the rarity of this gemellion cannot be overstated—fewer than 110 examples of these Limousin hand-washing vessels are known to survive from the Middle Ages.

As a catch basin lacking the characteristic pouring spout, it represents half of what would have originally been a paired set, used for the ritualized washing of hands in both religious and secular contexts. The vessel’s secular iconography of horse and rider reflects the sophisticated courtly culture of the 13th century, when such imagery proliferated on luxury objects—many of which eventually found their way into ecclesiastical treasuries as pious donations. The object highlights the technical mastery of champlevé enameling, where colored glass is fused into carved copper channels and enhanced with precious gilding.

Pair of Italian marble, micromosaic, and gilt-bronze pedestals, 1790s, Giacomo Raffaelli (Italian, 1753–1836)

These pedestals by Giacomo Raffaelli represent the pinnacle of 18th-century Italian decorative arts by the undisputed master of micromosaic technique. The pedestals showcase his revolutionary approach to the ancient art of mosaic, employing tesserae so minutely crafted that hundreds—even thousands—fit within a single square inch, refining the art form to a new level that dates back to classical antiquity. Constructed from Carrara marble and enhanced with gilt bronze, these pedestals elevate the functional object of the pedestal to the realm of high art through their integration of precious materials and extraordinary craftsmanship.

Moreover, the micromosaic panels on these pedestals are among the largest continuous compositions Raffaelli ever attempted, far exceeding the intimate scale of the snuffboxes and bonbonnières for which he is best known. The iconography—featuring birds, flowers, vases, and butterflies symbolizing Psyche and the soul—connects to the most prestigious commission of 18th-century Rome: Palazzo Braschi, the lavishly decorated residence of Pope Pius VI’s nephew. These objects reinforce Mia’s already strong collections of Italian 18th-century decorative arts—and will provide visitors with an unparalleled example of how Roman workshops operated during this golden age of decorative arts.

Greek vase with medallions, c. 1765, Sèvres Porcelain Factory (Paris, 1756–present)

In the 1760s, the Manufacture Royale de Sèvres—the supreme expression of French state-sponsored artistry—moved away from Rococo frivolity toward the clarity of neoclassicism. This exceptional—and exceptionally rare—Greek vase exemplifies this dramatic shift, with its bold rectilinear Greek meander pattern encircling a form derived from a fluted column base. It also showcases the legendary “bleu nouveau,” the lapis lazuli imitation glaze that became an iconic color in French design.

Only nine of these vases were ever produced. This pristine example strengthens Mia’s neoclassical collections, documenting a transformative period when European decorative arts shifted focus to the simplicity of classical antiquity. It is the earliest Sèvres porcelain in Mia’s collection and the museum’s first example of this celebrated 18th-century blue glaze technique.

Snowy Country Road, Le Val near Giverny, 1888, Blanche Hoschedé-Monet (French, 1865–1947)

This winter landscape by Blanche Hoschedé-Monet represents a pivotal moment in both the artist’s career and the broader story of Impressionism at Giverny. Painted in early 1888 when the artist was just 23, this oil on canvas captures the snowy country road leading to the family home she shared with her stepfather, Claude Monet. The work has been newly identified as her likely first submission to the Paris Salon, marking her emergence as an independent artist after five years of accompanying Monet on his daily painting excursions.

Hoschedé-Monet was Monet’s only true pupil and later became instrumental in completing his monumental Water Lilies cycles. Executed during Monet’s absence in Antibes, the painting embodies his hopes for her artistic development, as he wrote to her mother: “I hope that Blanche, left to her own devices, will make a serious effort.” The artist demonstrates remarkable technical sophistication in her handling of snow effects, balancing bold white impasto with subtle shadows of blue, gray, and green, while injecting warmth through delicate touches of pink and yellow. For Mia, this acquisition builds on the museum’s already strong collection of Giverny-related works, joining masterpieces by Claude Monet, Theodore Robinson, and Frederick Carl Frieseke.

Sa demeure, c. 1899, Louis Welden Hawkins (French (born Germany), 1849–1910)

Louis Weldon Hawkins began his career as a naturalist painter before aligning himself with more radical symbolist circles in the 1890s. This enigmatic garden scene captures a moment of synthesis between these two styles: the composition is of a scene of nature, yet is filled with mysterious objects—a broom, bucket, rope, table, chairs, and blue cloth draped over a branch—that function as symbolic clues without revealing their meaning. The curving apple tree branch reflects the influence of Japanese prints on symbolist artists of the period, while two sensitively rendered chickadees perch as though engaged in secret conversation, adding to the work’s air of quiet mystery.

Kept with its original frame, this mid-career work provides Mia’s visitors an exceptional opportunity to encounter the sophisticated visual poetry that defined symbolist painting at its height. Executed in an unusual, nearly square format that enhances its contemplative quality, Hawkins created a scene that is simultaneously specific and timeless. And the painting’s elusive title—Sa demeure (“his home,” or “its home”)—further compounds its mysterious allegory.

Clog-shaped tea bowl with wisteria motif, early 17th century, Japan, Edo period (1603–1868)

This clog-shaped tea bowl represents one of the most complex and labor-intensive examples of black Oribe ceramics, embodying the radical aesthetic experimentation that defined early 17th century Japanese tea culture. Named after the influential tea master and samurai Furuta Oribe, this style emerged from the Mino kilns of Gifu Prefecture during a brief but revolutionary period when tea practitioners pushed novelty to its limits, seeking what contemporaries described as the “warped” (hizumitaru) aesthetic. The bowl’s sophisticated decoration—where black glaze was selectively scraped away and exposed areas were then filled with white clay slip, requiring each motif to be glazed separately rather than uniformly—demonstrates the extraordinary precision demanded by Oribe ware production. The horizontal spray of wisteria flowers, traditionally associated with early summer and typically depicted in vertical clusters, suggests this work may have been a special seasonal commission.

While Mia has an extensive Japanese ceramics collection, this work is a significant addition reflecting Japan’s enduring tea culture. The bowl’s deliberately triangular profile defies conventional ceramic forms. At the same time, its construction showcases exceptional technical mastery: after wheel-throwing and shaping, artisans omitted the traditional foot rim in favor of an intricately crafted, separately fabricated high-splayed foot with hollow interior, possibly influenced by imported glass or metalware bases. It captures a pivotal moment when Japanese tea masters embraced deliberate irregularity and bold innovation, forever changing the aesthetic landscape of ceremonial tea culture.

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About the Minneapolis Institute of Art

Home to more than 100,000 works of art representing 5,000 years of world history, the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) inspires wonder, spurs creativity, and nourishes the imagination. With extraordinary exhibitions and one of the finest art collections in the country—from all corners of the globe, from ancient to contemporary—Mia links the past to the present, enables global conversations, and offers an exceptional setting for inspiration. Learn more about Mia in our latest Impact Report.

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