[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 140 (Thursday, October 9, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1985-E1986]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         TRIBUTE TO TEODORO VIDAL, HIS GIFT TO AMERICAN CULTURE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOSE E. SERRANO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 9, 1997

  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Mr. Teodoro Vidal, 
a Puerto Rican businessman and art collector, who has donated his 
splendid collection of colonial artwork from Puerto Rico to the 
Smithsonian Institution.
  ``Colonial Art From Puerto Rico: Selections From the Gift of Teodoro 
Vidal'', part of Vidal's remarkable endowment to the Smithsonian, is 
now on exhibit through March 8, 1998 at the National Museum of American 
Art. Most of his collection will be exhibited in July when the National 
Museum of American History opens ``Teodoro Vidal: A Collector and His 
Collection.''
  Mr. Vidal, believed in the need to preserve the Puerto Rican 
patrimony. Forty years ago he started collecting santos, figures of 
saints and other religious personalities carved in wood, when he saw 
that tourists were buying most of the pieces and taking them out of the 
island.
  His collection--3,200 historical and cultural artifacts from Puerto 
Rico--includes paintings by Jose Campeche, recognized as the greatest 
Latin American painter of the 18th century, portrait miniatures, 
costumes, amulets, jewelry, masks, toys, photographs, and 700 
``santos''. Some of the pieces date back to the 17th century.
  Vidal's treasure is one of the largest donations by an individual to 
the Smithsonian Institution. Today the Smithsonian will honor Teodoro 
Vidal for his breathtakingly valuable gift to the American people. 
Exhibitions of this magnitude will contribute to the understanding of 
Latin American peoples, their histories, and diverse cultures.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues and their staff to visit this 
extraordinary exhibit, and to join me in recognizing Mr. Teodoro Vidal 
for his magnanimous gift to the Smithsonian Institution, a gift which 
is a blessing for the peoples of this Nation.

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