Presented by Wallace Collection
In an exciting collaboration with The Bowes Museum in County Durham, the Wallace Collection presents El Greco to Goya - Spanish Masterpieces from The Bowes Museum: the first London exhibition of Spanish art including works by Goya and El Greco.
This collaborative exhibition between the Wallace Collection and The Bowes Museum celebrates a special partnership between these two great museums for the very first time. Like the Wallace Collection, The Bowes Museum is the product of one family’s obsession with collecting great works of art. John Bowes and Richard Wallace – both illegitimate sons of aristocratic fathers – bequeathed collections of international significance to the nation. Their eponymous museums have become renowned institutions, and so it is immensely exciting to see the results of their creatively fruitful collaboration.
“El Greco to Goya is not only an unprecedented opportunity to see Spanish art of extraordinary power and significance in London, but also the beginning of an exciting relationship between the Wallace Collection and The Bowes Museum. Both institutions share a commitment to making great art accessible to wider audiences and we are looking forward to working closely together to develop a long term connection between London and the North East.”
The exhibition, El Greco to Goya - Spanish Masterpieces from The Bowes Museum, spans three centuries and explores one of the largest collections of Spanish art in Britain. The works chosen draw attention to this period as a time of huge social, religious and political upheaval in Spain, providing a microcosm of the changes in style and subject matter during this period. With works by Velázquez and Murillo already on permanent display at the Wallace Collection, this was an opportunity to compliment the museum with an injection of exciting, masterful works. Highlights of the display include El Greco’s The Tears of Saint Peter, thought to be the artist’s earliest interpretation of this subject, Goya’s psychologically penetrating Portrait of Juan Antonio Meléndez Valdés and disturbing Interior of a Prison, plus perhaps less well known, but outstanding nonetheless, works such as Antonio de Pereda’s Tobias restoring his father’s sight.
It's an insight into Spanish art and culture not to be missed, and with free entry at the beautiful Wallace Collection situated in the heart of London, it's the perfect activity for inspired and arty autumn days.