Liliana Godia Foundation President Francisco Godia, New York has received the Medal Sorolla of the Hispanic Society of America for the dissemination of Hispanic art and literature to which it contributes through the foundation that bears the name of his father Francisco Godia Sales, racing driver and art collector.
The event was chaired by Mr George Moore, president of the Hispanic Society of America, and his wife Kathie Moore.
Since 1924, Sorolla medal is awarded on an annual basis to those individuals that have worked their personal career serving the Hispanic culture, thus providing a recognition of the importance of this culture and build bridges with the United States.
The awards ceremony took place at the landmark 583 Park Avenue where he also was awarded Soumaya Slim, daughter of Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim and founder of the recently opened Museo Soumaya – Carlos Slim Foundation located in Mexico City. Accompanying the act more than 300 personalities from culture, politics and business in the U.S., Mexico and Spain, among which the most excellent Juan Pablo de Laiglesia, ambassador representative of Spain and the United Nations, Fernando Villalonga, Consul General Spain in New York, and Iñigo Ramirez de Haro, Marqués de Cazaza in Africa, culture consul of Spain in New York. He also attended Thomas Campbell, Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the designer Oscar de la Renta. Among the Spanish who traveled to New York include: Manel Torreblanca, Liliana’s husband and vice Godia Francisco Godia Foundation; Sara Puig, director of the Fundación Francisco Godia, Marisa Falco de Godo, Jose Manuel and Maria Entrecanales, Juan Antonio Samaranch and Christina, James and Fiona Polanco, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Cristina Valls Taberner, and Mrs. Felix Revuelta, Conxita Villamata Carrion, Enrique Lacalle, Josep Maria and Rosa Puig, Luis Conde and Mrs., and Ms. Maria Puig and, among others. Liliana Liliana Godia and art founded in 1999 Godia Godia Foundation to show the important collection that his father, Francisco Godia, started in the 50′s and Liliana now continues.
The Foundation organizes temporary exhibitions and other outreach activities to promote private collecting in the preservation and dissemination of artistic heritage. The foundation has a collection of over 1000 pieces ranging from the fourteenth to the nineteenth century, through medieval sculpture and painting, an important collection of ceramics, painting of Modernism and the avant-garde works from the twentieth century and contemporary.
Among other pieces, the foundation custodial important Roman virgin, the Virgin of Milk Lorenzo Zaragoza, Maria Magdalena de Jaume Huguet, the Alexis de Vahía mercy, works of Luca Giordano and Zurbarán and Sorolla modern creations, Mir, Houses , Picasso, Miro, Tapies and Miquel Barceló. In recent years, Liliana Godia collection has expanded with the inclusion of works such as Jean Arp, Chillida, Manolo Hugué, Karel Appel, Magritte, Joaquín Torres-García and Cristina Iglesias among twentieth century artists Juan Pedro Berruguete or van der Hamen between the old masters. Hispanic Society of America Since its founding in 1904 by Archer M. Huntington, The Hispanic Society of America has promoted the study of culture and the various arts of Spain, and their areas of influence in Latin America and around the world.
The institution has a museum and a library with a collection that reaches one million books, a work unprecedented in scope and quality within the United States. The first medal was granted provided the institution was introduced in 1924 and sporadically until 1988, being Her Majesty Queen Sofia the last person to receive in that period.
Since 2005, the institution was given annually awarding the medal that year to Messrs. Robert and Claudia Hernández and Jesús de Polanco, presidents respectively of Banamex Foundation and Grupo Prisa. During the following years, were awarded to different personalities as Lydia Gonzalez Sada, a leading authority on Mexican colonial art; Joseph and Carmen Unanue, philanthropic leaders for their dedication to art, Rodrigo Uria, President of the Board of Trustees of the Prado Museum, Miquel Barceló, Spanish international renowned artist, Rafael del Pino Calvo-Sotelo, president of Grupo Ferrovial and Fundación Rafael del Pino, Eugenio Lopez Alonso, creator and leader Jumex Foundation philanthropic José Luis Olivas, President of the Fundación Bancaja, Jonathan Brown, a professor of Hispanic art and culture, Fernando d’Ornellas and Blanca Pons-Sorolla A. Foundation Aroca, Javier Godo, Grupo Godo, and Antonio Pérez Simón Foundation and Foundation Jasps Vallelonga.
About the Foundation: