From El Greco to Dalí
July 09, 2011 through November 06, 2011
The San Diego Museum of Art is proud to be the only U.S. museum to show From El Greco to Dalí: Great Spanish Masters from the Pérez Simón Collection. This spectacular survey of Spanish art from the 16th century to the 1970s will feature 64 works drawn from one of the world’s finest private collections, on view from July 9 to November 6, 2011. From the golden age of Charles V and on through the modern period, this exhibition showcases such acclaimed masters of the Spanish school as El Greco, Ribera, Murillo, Goya, Sorolla, Picasso, Dalí and Miró.
Spanning five centuries, this selection of works by some of the world’s most celebrated artists illustrates a splendid chapter in the history of Spanish art. Visitors to the exhibition will also be invited to discover dazzling artists little-known in the U.S., such as the Romantic Manuel Barrón y Carrillo, or the Modernist Romero de Torres.
This exhibition proposes new perspectives on the story of Spanish art, considered both thematically and historically. An outstanding selection of old master paintings will underscore the importance of religious piety and royal patronage from the 16th to the 18th century, including Jusepe de Ribera’s sensational Saint Jerome, Bartolomé Murillo’s sublime Immaculate Conception, and Francisco de Goya’s masterful Doña María Teresa de Vallabriga y Rozas. The struggle between tradition and modernity will be considered from the late-18th to the 20th century, featuring six works by Salvador Dalí, among them his monumental Ascension of Christ, and the diptych Gala’s Christ, painted for his wife and muse in 1978. Monuments of painting, the masterpieces assembled for this exhibition are also a testament to a preeminent collector’s enduring passion.
A native of Asturias, Spain, Juan Antonio Pérez Simón has made Mexico City his home. It is also home to his collection, begun in the 1970s, which now ranks among the greatest in the world. From El Greco to Dalí: Great Spanish Masters from the Pérez Simón Collection, a choice selection from the outstanding works that comprise this stellar collection,premiered in Paris, at the Musée Jacquemart-André, before traveling to the Musée national des beaux-arts in Québec City.
Roxana Velásquez, Executive Director of the Museum, on Sorolla
Featured Videos
Guillermo Solana, Chief Curator and Artistic Director, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, Spain, speaks on Dalí
Nicola Spinosa, Director of the Capodimonte Museum Naples, Italy, speaks on Jusepe de Ribera
Dr. John Marciari, Curator of European Art and Head of Provenance Research, speaks on Alejo Fernández
Dr. John Marciari, Curator of European Art and Head of Provenance Research, speaks on Francisco Bayeu
Ignacio Henares, Director of the History of Art and Music Department, University of Granada, Spain, speaks on Goya
Press Conference Clips
Featured Artists
Timeline
What do you see ?
We all have our own reaction to a specific work of art. One person might see one thing and another person may see something entirely different. That's the beauty and the truth of being subjective. Tell us what you see in the painting below.
From El Greco to Dalí: The Great Spanish Masters from the Pérez Simón Collectionis organized by the Musée Jacquemart-André, the Musée National des Beaux-arts du Québec in association with The San Diego Museum of Art.
The exhibition is made possible by Tamara and Kevin Kinsella.
Major support is provided by Demi and Frank Rogozienski and the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation.
Additional funding is provided by Gordon Brodfuehrer, Toni and John Bloomberg, Mary Ann and Arnold Ginnow, Sharon and Joel Labovitz, Sheryl and Harvey White, Christie's, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, the County of San Diego Community Enhancement Program, the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, and the Members of The San Diego Museum of Art.
What everyone else sees:
A dreamy fantasy with elegant ladies in glamorous costumes.