Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/562661
— Dr. R. Gerald Turner, President, Southern Methodist University THE ALBA COLLECTION IS A PERFECT REALIZATION OF THE DREAM OF ALGUR H. MEADOWS, HIS FAMILY AND ITS FOUNDATION." CAPS A HALF-CENTURY THE FABLED HOUSE OF ALBA COMES TO DALLAS PAPERCITY ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT Table in the Empire style of Napoleon III, circa 1850 JOIN THE MEADOWS NOW What could possibly be a better time to become a museum member? Perks of Meadows membership and its different levels are outlined online — including trips such as last spring's once-in-a-lifetime visit to the House of Alba's palaces in Madrid, Seville and Salamanca, a benefit offered to Ribera Patron members (from $500; travel extra). Membership begins at $50 for SMU alums (a promotion only available during this 50th Anniversary year) through Fortuny Angel level ($2,500), which includes use of the Gene and Jerry Jones Great Hall or the Algur H. Meadows Founder's Room for a private event and a director-led tour of the permanent collection or a special exhibition. For information or to join during this historic time, please contact membership manager David Leggett, 214.768.2765, dlegget@smu.edu. Note: Admission during the run of the House of Alba exhibition is $12; Meadows Museum members always receive free admission. PLANNING A GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY It's impossible to single out everyone involved in organizing this historic half-century commemorative year, but praise goes out to Linda P. Custard, chair of the Meadows Museum Advisory Council, and Stacey McCord, chair of the 50th Anniversary. "As we celebrate our 50th anniversary," Custard notes, "the opening of 'Treasures of the House of Alba' honors an illustrious family and further connects our museum to the history and heritage of Spain. We are privileged to be part of this remarkable institution." McCord adds, "Those of us planning the Golden Anniversary year are so thankful to our many volunteers and financial sponsors who are ensuring that this celebration is made available to the largest number of attendees. We hope that the variety of programs offered this year will inspire and attract art lovers of all ages, and that the museum becomes an even stronger cultural presence in our community." THE MEADOWS MUSEUM A MEADOWS MILESTONE This fall, the Meadows Museum, which houses extraordinary Spanish splendors, caps its first half- century — a golden anniversary that coincides with the centennial of Southern Methodist University — with a flourish. Cue "Treasures from the House of Alba: 500 Years of Art and Collecting" September 11, 2015, through January 3, 2016. It's a bookend to The Abelló Collection, which was mounted at the Meadows this past spring, headlined by modern masterworks by Picasso and Bacon. The House of Alba exhibition signals a blockbuster of magnificent art historical bounty and cultural significance. The exhibit culls 140 rare paintings, sculptures, drawings, volumes, tapestries, antiquities, manuscripts and furnishings owned by one of the most storied aristocratic families in Europe. It's the first time the collection has been presented in-depth in America, and the maiden voyage outside of Spain for most of the offerings. For the players in five centuries of collecting drama, the palaces, the patronage, a page from the logbook of Columbus, and the mystery and majesty of a noble lady in white (two centuries later, she still enchants), read on. Christopher Columbus' Logbook documenting the journey of discovery of the New World, map of La Española, 1492 Duke of Alba, Carlos Fitz-James Stuart y Martínez de Irujo 50th Anniversary chair Stacey McCord, Advisory Council chair Linda Custard Renoir's Girl in Hat with Cherries, 1880 BY CATHERINE D. ANSPON DISCOVER SPAIN! AN AFTERNOON AND EVENING PAGEANT OF IBERIAN FOOD AND WINE PAIRINGS, MUSIC, CINEMA, DANCE, ART AND OTHER CUL- TURAL HAPPENINGS REVOLVES AROUND THE HOUSE OF ALBA EXHIBITION ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10. FOR A COMPLETE CALENDAR AND DETAILS, VISIT MEADOWSMUSEUMDALLAS.ORG. THE HOUSE OF ALBA IN THE MUSEUM STORE After your exhibition visit, head to the Meadows Museum Shop for the definitive 360- page catalog that documents it all, edited by guest curator Fernando Checa Cremades, with scholarly essays and color illustrations ($65). Epicureans will also want to acquire a cache of Casa de Alba biscuits (made using raw materials sourced from the family estates) as well as the Alba's acclaimed extra virgin olive oil, produced from its olive groves. It's a brand that has captured many culinary awards; the olive oil famously bears the family's coat of arms on its bottles and Goya's portrait of the 13th Duchess of Alba on its tins. ALL IMAGES COLECCIÓN DUQUES DE ALBA TAMYTHA CAMERON Franz Xavier Winterhalter's Portrait of Maria Francisco de Sales Palafox y Portocarrero, Fifteenth Duchess of Alba, circa 1853