Puerto Rico museum’s rarely seen artworks showcased in Chicago exhibit

Francisco Oller y Cestero, “Hacienda Aurora,” 1898, oil on panel. The painting is among a collection of works featured in “Nostalgia for My Island: Puerto Rican Painting from the Museo de Arte de Ponce, 1786- 1962,” at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture. (Courtesy Museo de Arte de Ponce/Elias Carmona)

Few if any Puerto Rican artists are familiar names on the American mainland, and the Caribbean territory’s art museums are probably even less widely known.

One show won’t bring instant recognition, but it can be an important step. That’s the belief behind a milestone Puerto Rican art exhibition set to open Sept. 20 at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture.