The San Diego Museum of Art houses a robust collection of Spanish art, including works by El Greco, Juan Sánchez Cotán, Francisco de Zurbarán, and many more. We invite you to explore Spanish art through the Museum’s collection.
Spanish Masters
Explore the Spanish Collection
Masterpiece Minute podcast: San Diego de Alcalá by Pedro de Mena
How did sculptors make this and similar seventeenth-century Spanish statues look so realistic? Learn about Spain’s highly naturalistic sculpture style and how it is shown in this sculpture, San Diego de Alcalá by Pedro de Mena, in this episode of the Museum’s Masterpiece Minute podcast.
Listen now:
Listen to “Episode 23 – Masterpiece Minute Podcast” on Spreaker.View Pedro de Mena’s San Diego de Alcalá, online.
Masterpiece Minute podcast: Basin or Charger, 16th century Spain
What makes this large serving dish shine and how did the trade secret travel from medieval Iraq to 16th century Spain and beyond? Learn about the fascinating history of this closely guarded technique, called luster, in this Masterpiece Minute podcast episode.
Listen now:
Listen to “Episode 21 – Masterpiece Minute Podcast” on Spreaker.View Basin or Charger, 16th century online.
Masterpiece Minute podcast: The Adoration of the Shepherds by El Greco
How did Spanish master El Greco begin and how did he create his signature style? Learn about El Greco and the significance of this oil painting on copper, The Adoration of the Shepherds, in this episode of the Masterpiece Minute podcast.
Listen now:
Listen to “Episode 18 – Masterpiece Minute Podcast” on Spreaker.View El Greco’s The Adoration of the Shepherds online.
Masterpiece Minute podcast: Christ Served by Angels attributed to Juan de Pareja
What clues lead us to believe this unsigned painting is by Juan de Pareja, an enslaved Spanish painter of African descent who spent nearly his entire adult life in the workshop of Diego Velázquez? Unravel this mystery and hear about Pareja’s life, which for many years was shrouded in legend.
Listen now:
Listen to “Episode 13 – Masterpiece Minute Podcast” on Spreaker.View Juan de Pareja’s Christ Served by Angels online.
Masterpiece Minute podcast: Antique Spanish frame for Virgin and Child with Saint John the Baptist by Francisco de Zurbarán
What makes this antique Spanish frame a perfect fit for this work by Francisco de Zurbarán? Hear how this frame and painting came together in the latest episode of Masterpiece Minute.
Listen now:
Listen to “Episode 6 – Masterpiece Minute Podcast” on Spreaker.View Zurbarán’s Virgin and Child with Saint John online.
Masterpiece Minute podcast: María at La Granja by Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida
Who was María and what is the significance of her being in La Granja? Learn the story behind this masterpiece by Sorolla, the very first work in the SDMA collection.
Listen now:
Listen to “Episode 4 – Masterpiece Minute Podcast” on Spreaker.View Sorolla’s María at La Granja online.
Masterpiece Minute podcast: Agnus Dei (“Lamb of God”) by Francisco de Zurbarán
Still life or devotional symbolic painting? Hear the significance of this work and why it’s a favorite among kids.
Listen now:
Listen to “Episode 3 – Masterpiece Minute Podcast” on Spreaker.View Zurbarán’s Agnus Dei (“Lamb of God”) online.
Masterpiece Minute podcast: Still Life with Quince, Cabbage, Melon, and Cucumber by Juan Sánchez Cotán
Hear the history behind this masterful still life, including which royal court it once adorned and how it’s tied to the Carthusian monastery.
Listen now:
Listen to “Masterpiece Minute Episode 1” on Spreaker.View Cotán’s Still Life with Quince, Cabbage, Melon, and Cucumber online.
Spanish Art and Culture
Digital content brought to you in part by the Tourist Office of Spain.
Featured: Juan Sánchez Cotán, Still Life with Quince, Cabbage, Melon, and Cucumber, ca. 1602. Oil on canvas. Gift of Anne R. and Amy Putnam. 1945.43.
