Pareja Project

Over twenty years ago, Hamann found a press photograph taken after the sale of Velazquez’s portrait of his Afro-Hispanic slave and studio assistant Juan de Pareja (1650) for the record sum of £2,310,000 (Christies 1971). More recently, she became aware of Pareja’s own painting practice.

Pareja Project encompasses various images relating to Juan de Pareja, including the press photograph, Velázquez’s portrait of Pareja, X-rays of the portrait and Pareja’s largest painting, The Calling of Saint Matthew. The images are printed in their original sizes on paper-like Tyvek material, ranging from 8 x 10 inches to 2 x 3 meters, each print double-sided, displaying both sides of the painting/photograph. The images are scored and folded multiple times.

Supported by:
Dorothy Mahon Conservator 

Paintings Conservation
Department of European Paintings

The Metropolitan Museum of Art