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The creation of this collection at the Utah Museum
of Fine Arts was largely the work of E.
Frank Sanguinetti, director of the UMFA from
1967 to 2001. When he took up the position,
he made a goal to present examples of art from
cultures all over the world. Sanguinetti believed
this would greatly enrich the lives of the students
at the University of Utah as well as the people of
the state. While the museum had objects from
Europe, Asia, and ancient Egypt, the permanent
collection did not contain art from ancient
Mexico or Mesoamerica. Pooling together funds
from generous supporters, Sanguinetti and
“Friends of the Art Museum” made signifi cant
purchases over the next three decades.
In 1977, the museum acquired objects from the
Formative period Mezcala culture (700–200 BC)
and the shaft tomb cultures of west Mexico (ca.
300 BC–AD 300). Over the years, art from west
Mexico would become one of the collection’s
strong points, anchored by a seated fi gure from Colima,
which clutches a club and has the rare addition
of a four-horned headdress (fi g. 19). It received
widespread scholarly interest and was included in
the touring exhibition Ancient West Mexico: Art
and Archaeology of the Unknown Past.3
During the 1980s, the museum introduced examples
of Olmec and Zapotec artifacts into the
collection. Opportunities then arose for creating
an in-depth assemblage of art from the Maya
culture, including fi gures from Jaina Island, a
carved ceremonial stone yoke, and several ceramic
vessels that exemplify the Classic Maya
era (AD 250–900). Among the noteworthy objects
is a Maya jester deity in jade, one of the
largest examples housed in a public collection
(fi g. 20). Other standouts include a pair of large
urns with reliefs depicting the face of the deity G
I emerging from a cave opening (fi gs. 22a and b).
Gifts of art in the 1990s and 2000s demonstrated
the enthusiasm of museum supporters
for ancient Mesoamerican art. In 2004, a major
donation of ceramic bowls from Dr. Susan and
Peter Loffl er complemented the Colima holdings
and provided the fi rst examples of the Late Formative
Chupícuaro ceramic tradition (500 BC–
AD 0). Four years later, the museum was able
to purchase at auction a gold necklace from the
Coclé culture of Panama (AD 800–1500). The
necklace, with its double bat effi gy and tapering
FIG. 15 (above):
Mask.
Kanak, New Caledonia.
Early 20th century.
Wood. pigment. H: 27.9 cm.
UMFA, purchased with funds
from The Phyllis Cannon Wattis
Endowment Fund, inv. 1999.45.1.
FIG. 14 (left):
Club, u’u.
Marquesas Islands,
French Polynesia.
19th–20th century.
Wood. H: 142 cm.
UMFA, purchased with funds
from Friends of the Art Museum,
inv. 1983.001.010.
ART ON VIEW