Photographs such as the one of Mayra Vedette that illustrates the cover of this article -from the 40s of the last century- one of Josephine Baker’s banana skirts, a Celia Cruz dress, vinyl records, posters? We could go on listing more than 500 pieces and then we would have the corpus of the exhibition Latina: Mujer, música y glamour en la Colección Gladys Palmera, the free exhibition that promises to be one of the highlights of this spring in the capital.
The news is not trivial considering that this collection – behind which is the Spanish-Panamanian patron and communicator Alejandra Fierro Eleta – is the largest in the world as far as Latin music is concerned, with more than 100,000 pieces.
For this occasion, a selection has been made that focuses on the figure of Latin women in the entertainment industry and is the result of years of work:“to rescue and make known the women who, with their talent, broke barriers in a world dominated by men,” explains Fierro herself.
History and public image of Latin women in music
Throughout the tour, the public will not only have the opportunity to learn about the history of these women and how their personalities and art turned them into icons that marked the way, but will also be able to approach the different stages that their public image went through.
This process ranges from moments of glamour and splendor, leadership and empowerment – taking, for example, the reins of their own divas’ careers in the 70s and 80s – to those of cultural appropriation, exoticization and hypersexualization of bodies.
All embodied through the figures of women such as Lupe Vélez, Dolores del Río, Rita Montaner, María Félix, Ninón Sevilla, Yma Sumac, Iris Chacón, Angela Bofill, La Lupe, Violeta Parra, Mercedes Sosa, Chavela Vargas and Chabuca Granda.
Dates and schedule
The exhibition is completely free and can be visited at Casa de América (Plaza de Cibeles, s/n) from April 4 to July 5, 2025. Access will be through Marqués del Duero Street, 2 and the exhibition will occupy the Frida Kahlo, Torres García and Guayasamín rooms.
The schedule is as follows:
- Monday to Friday: from 11h to 20:30h.
- Saturdays: 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.
- Sundays and holidays: closed.