Peru: Kingdoms of the Sun and the Moon
Oct 17 2013âJan 5 2014
Seattle Art Museum
SAM is honored to host a major exhibition of Peruvian art that includes rarely seen sculpture, metalwork, painting and textiles spanning 3,000 years. Visitors will be introduced to the rich heritage of ancient Peru, including superb works of the Mochica, Chimu and Inca cultures. Important paintings and sculptures from the Colonial and Vice-royal eras demonstrate the initial influence of Christianity, seen in radiant paintings of saints and liturgical processions. Artworks created after independence from Spain show the creative syncretism between indigenous and Spanish traditions, followed by examples of the rich aesthetic of 20th-century paintings and folk art. Taking a novel approach to Peruvian art, the thematic organization reveals cross currents of ideas and artistry through time and the symbolic role that art plays in the construction of cultural identity.
Educational Resources
To explore this exhibition a little deeper download our bibliography.
Set of Ornaments, AD 1000â1476, ChimĂș culture, North coast, gold, silver and copper alloy, 46.6 x 21.9 cm (approx.), Museo ArqueolĂłgico Rafael Larco Herrera, Lima
Related events
Whatâs on at Seattle Art Museum
Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei
Mar 12âSep 7 2025Following Space: Thaddeus Mosley & Alexander Calder
Nov 20 2024âJun 1 2025Selections from the Shirley Family Calder Collection
Nov 20 2024âongoingBethany Collins: At Sea
Nov 14 2024âMay 4 2025Diego Cibelli: Fiori dei Miei Habiti / La Montagne EnchantĂ©e
May 31 2024âMay 10 2026Lessons from the Institute of Empathy
Mar 31 2018âOct 5 2025Yirrkala: Art from Australiaâs Top End
May 10 2024âongoingImpressionisms: The Global Nineteenth Century
Mar 27 2024âongoingAmerican Art: The Stories We Carry
Oct 20 2022âongoingChronicles of a Global East
Oct 20 2022âongoingSAM on Paper: Rembrandtâs Etchings
Mar 27 2024âongoingDeities & Demons: Supernatural In Japanese Art
Oct 20 2022âongoingPacific Species
Dec 22 2022âongoingConscious Constructions
Apr 29 2011âongoingArt and Life Along the Northwest Coast
Nov 26 2014âongoingCosmic Beings in Mesoamerican and Andean Art
Nov 10 2018âongoingOnly Connect: The Art of Devotion
Apr 29 2011âongoingPorcelain Room
May 5 2007âongoingTariqa Waters: Venus is Missing
May 7 2025âJan 5 2026FriendsWithYou: Little Cloud Sky
Jun 27 2025âongoingFarm to Table: Art, Food, and Identity in the Age of Impressionism
Oct 23 2025âJan 18 2026Samantha Yun Wall: 2024 Betty Bowen Award Winner
Opening Spring 2026