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A Closer Look: the De Soto Conquest | ||||
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Professor Lewis deSoto transformed a vintage 1965 Chrysler New Yorker
into a sculpture that traces the heritage of his surname. deSoto, a distant
descendent of the Cahuilla tribe of Native Americans, customized the
car with designs, upholstery and other elements that refer to Spanish
conquistador Hernando De Soto and the former Chrysler model named after
him.
The "De Soto Conquest" is part of an exhibit called "No Reservations: Native American History and Culture in Contemporary Art," on display at Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Conn., through Feb. 25, 2007. deSoto's scuplture caught the eye of New York Times art critic Ben Genocchio. "The conquistador's sword is super imposed over the word 'conquest' on both rear side panels of the car," Genocchio wrote on Sept. 16. "Nearby is a painted disc composed of traditional basket designs by the Cahuilla of Southern California … encircled by the Latin word for smallpox. Like many native people in the Americas, the Cahuilla were hit hard by the disease in the 1880s and 1890s." -- Matt Itelson
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1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132 (415) 338-1111 |
