House of the Dear: A Private Collection of Mexican Art
Written by Lydia Jones
This visit is about passion and inspiration. About art lovers who created an amazing house, packed it with art and opened their doors to others. You will immediately feel like buying a house yourself here and staying forever.
This private home is in the colonial town of Valladolid, which in itself is absolutely worth a day trip. Most people stop here in the evening, after visiting the ruins of Chichén Itzá. But I strongly encourage you to come for a full day as you can combine a visit to this art house-museum with a swim in the cenote Zací, right in the middle of the town, and a market experience. Add a tour of the chocolate factory Choco Story, for a rounded experience of Mexico. In the evening, just promenade in the park on the main square, have an ice cream and enjoy the music and dance groups who come and perform in the cool air.
The house is called Casa de Venado and it is owned by an American couple, John and Dorianne Venator. The transformation of the house took them eight years. And what a great job they did. In addition, the owners commission Mexican folk art and contemporary pieces from all over Mexico. They go to villages; they don't buy from galleries. In the long run, the art collection and the house will go to a private foundation, as a private house museum open to the public, as well as hosting various musical performances and other public events. My hat off to their efforts, a fantastic job!
The rooms are labeled; there is Izamal room, Valladolid room, Maya room. But the origins of the artists vary. For example, in the Maya room you can find pieces by artists from Oaxaca, in alebrije style, brightly colored wooden sculptures of fantastical creatures. It could be a lion with an eagle's head or a donkey with butterfly wings. Such pieces represent the animal spirits of humans, as set by the ancient Zapotec zodiac calendar, or they refer to the concept of an individual transforming into an animal, for the purpose of sorcery. For example ancient shamans often transformed themselves in trance rituals into jaguars, symbols of power. One can also transform oneself into an animal in a dream. I think of it as a spiritual connection between a person and an animal.
You can also find here art made of chaquiras (small beads), made by the Huichol people, Chiapas art from wool and textiles, amber jewelry, black clay pottery from Oaxaca, silverware from Guerrero, ceramics from Jalisco, onyx lamps from Puebla, figures made from sea shells and precious stones. Other outstanding pieces include an extensive collection of sculptures by Josefina Aguilar, one of three sisters who are the most famous makers of non-black pottery from Oaxaca. In the Frida room, there is a table by the Rosenthals from Erongaricuaro in Michoacán. There are Catrina dolls by Juan Torres from Capula (Michoacán) and fantastic tile murals by Daniel Rosel in each private garden of the five suites, while Luis and Jorge Valencia made the impressive mural of a Oaxacan village in the entryway. The list could go on and on.
The house itself is simply a masterpiece. It is situated just off the central plaza. The owners live in the house so they keep their bedrooms private but the house is open to visitors for a donation as a museum, in the mornings. The donations are then forwarded to a local school by the owners.
I love the central yard with a fountain and covered walkways on the side, as well as the archway between the central courtyard and the pool garden. It just offsets the whole central space. The arch is opened to the sky by a narrow slit. The clean line of the arch is truly minimalist, complementing the old colonial architecture. The spouts on the wall pour water into the pool and the owners installed an underground sewage treatment plant, to ensure clear water at all times. All the rooms have high ceilings, an internal set of stairs to an upper bedroom, a private bathroom, with pink and white marble floors throughout. Each room also has a private yard with murals and sculptures and some tropical plants. The living room is so packed with art objects that you will not know where to look first.
I have visited this house many times and will never tire of it. The owners change the art in the rooms from time to time, so there is always something new to look at. Above all, here you get ALL the Mexican art in one place. Certainly a nice way to fall in love with Mexico, its colors and passions!
