The walls of the Mudejar coffered ceiling room of the former Provincial Hospital of Almería, the longest in a civil building in Spain, have come to life again with the inauguration of the first temporary exhibition of the Museum of Contemporary Spanish Realism, MUREC: ‘Sorolla and the Renaissance of Valencian Painting’, which can be visited until 20 October. It is, as stated by the artist Andrés García Ibáñez and the president of the Provincial Council, Javier A. García, «the most important temporary exhibition in the history of Almería».
A large-format exhibition of 86 works, 43 of them by Joaquín Sorolla, and the rest by other important Valencian authors of the time, which opens the MUREC’s programme of temporary exhibitions. The exhibition is being held thanks to the collaboration of the Almería Provincial Council and the Ibáñez Cosentino Art Foundation, which has been in charge of its production, and a total of 28 lenders, including institutions, museums and private collectors.
This morning, in the MUREC auditorium, in the former chapel of the Provincial Hospital, the exhibition was presented at an event attended by the President of the Provincial Council of Almería, Javier A. García; the President of the Ibáñez Cosentino Art Foundation, Andrés García Ibáñez; the Director of the MUREC, Juan Manuel Martín; the curator of the exhibition and Professor of Art History, Javier Pérez Rojas; and the Vice President of the Provincial Council, Fernando Giménez.
The President of the Provincial Council of Almería, Javier A. García, has highlighted that “today is a historic day because we are lucky that the MUREC is experiencing a new milestone in its short but intense journey with the inauguration of its first temporary exhibition with the Sorolla exhibition. An event that speaks for itself of the magnitude and prestige that our museum space has acquired as a cultural universe”, and he added that “this exhibition will help us to continue to spread and make the MUREC known among the people of Almería, but, above all, among people from other provinces and countries”.
García also explained that the Provincial Council has launched various promotional campaigns for the MUREC, both in urban furniture and in the media, to “continue to position our museum as the benchmark that it is”. García also stressed that “this inauguration is much more relevant to me as it coincides with the first year of the current mandate, which began on 18 July 2023. In my inauguration speech, I stated that one of the most important points of our Government action would be the launch and promotion of the MUREC as a great artistic and cultural space in the province. Objectives and commitments fulfilled”.
The president of the Ibáñez Cosentino Art Foundation, Andrés García Ibáñez, has stated that we are witnessing “the most important temporary art exhibition ever held in the history of the province of Almería. Sorolla is one of the great classic Spanish authors. If we ignore modernity, from Picasso onwards, Sorolla is among the five painters that can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Probably after Velázquez, Goya and El Greco, the next would be Sorolla. And the fact that we can enjoy almost fifty works by Sorolla here today is something historic for the province and the city of Almería.”
The director of MUREC, Juan Manuel Martín, has thanked the Provincial Council and all the entities, institutions and private collectors who have donated their works to make this exhibition a reality and has stated that “this exhibition features one of the most unique artists in our art history, Joaquín Sorolla, an essential figure for understanding the development of Spanish realism.”
Finally, the curator of the exhibition, Javier Pérez Rojas, has described the process of creating this exhibition and has placed its magnitude as one of the most important dedicated to Sorolla coinciding with the centenary of his death, since many of the works on display have been seen very little. The curator has explained that the exhibition proposes a dialogue between several generations of Valencian artists, paying special attention to the process of formation, development and projection of Valencian painting at that time, led by Sorolla. The exhibition has been divided into four areas: Masters and references and beginnings; Between costumbrismo and social concern; The luminous kaleidoscope of portraits and ‘Rural, rural and urban’.
86 essential works
The exhibition ‘Sorolla and the Renaissance of Valencian Painting’ is made up of a total of 86 works by 32 artists, of which 4 are drawings and 82 paintings, some of which are large-format. A total of 28 lenders have participated, including institutions, museums and private collectors. Of the 86 works, 43 have been made by Sorolla and, among these, we can highlight ‘A Crucified Man’ (1885-6 – Oil on canvas, 217 × 105 cm. Collection of the Provincial Council of Valencia); ‘Portrait of Doña Enriqueta García’ (1897 – Oil on canvas, 64.2 × 55.4 cm. Collection of the Bancaja Foundation) or ‘Gust of Wind’ (1904 – Oil on canvas, 81.5 × 96 cm. Collection of the IVAM, Valencia).
The added value of this exhibition is that it raises a dialogue between several generations of Valencian artists such as Joaquín Agrasot, Francisco Domingo, Ignacio Pinazo, Emilio Sala, Manuel Benedito, Antonio Esteve, José Benlliure, Francisco Pons Arnau, Cecilio Pla, María Sorolla and Antonio Muñoz Degrain, among others. It pays special attention to the process of formation, development and projection of Valencian painting at that time with Sorolla as its most visible head, through the artist’s teachers and the generations to come.
Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (1863-1923) was one of the most important and influential artists of his time and one of the great geniuses in the history of Spanish painting. His initial training took place in Valencia. He received his first education at the School of Craftsmen in the city between 1876 and 1879 and completed his artistic studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Carlos, where he enrolled in the 1879-1880 academic year.
In 1885 he obtained a pension from the Valencia Provincial Council to move to Rome for four years. This stay, combined with trips to Paris, was decisive in shaping his style. Sorolla’s roots are firmly rooted in the Valencian school and the tradition of Spanish painting, being a fervent admirer of Velázquez and an artist with a cosmopolitan background who participated successfully in many European salons.
The exhibition by the Ibáñez Cosentino Art Foundation and the Provincial Council is made possible thanks to the generosity of institutions such as the Valencia City Council, the Bancaja Foundation Collection, the Joan Gavara Collection (Valencia), the Luis Trigo Collection, the Pérez Rojas Collection, the Ramón Quiles Collection, the Pinazo House-Museum, FVC of the Provincial Council of Valencia, the Valencia School of Craftsmen, the Sorolla Museum Foundation, the Pedrera Foundation of the Valencian Community, the Rodríguez-Acosta Foundation, IVAM – Valencian Institute of Modern Art, the Generalitat, the Jorge Group Collection, the Benlliure Museum, the Valencia City Council (City Museum), the Museum of Fine Arts of Castellón (Castellón Provincial Council), the Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia, the Ibáñez Museum of Olula del Río, the Sorolla Museum, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Carlos Valencia, Stella Manaut, daughter of the painter José Manaut and private collectors.
MUREC schedule
The opening hours of the Museum of Contemporary Spanish Realism and its temporary exhibitions are from Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. On Sundays, it is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on this day, admission is free (general admission is 5 euros). The museum is closed on Mondays.
In addition, different groups can access the MUREC free of charge at any time: people over 65, children under 16, students between 16 and 25, active teaching staff, youth card holders, people with a disability of 33% or more, members of certain art and museum associations, etc. Entry to the MUREC will also be free on Andalusia Day, Museum Day, Tourism Day and when the European Heritage Days are being held.
Among the names of the artists in the museum’s permanent collection are Sorolla, Zuloaga, Romero de Torres, Antonio López, Andrés García Ibáñez, Aureliano de Berruete, Benlliure, Julio Antonio, Ramón Gaya, Elena Santoja, Carmen Laffón…, or the famous group of Madrid realists where, in addition to Antonio López, there are artists such as María Moreno, Francisco López and Isabel Quintanilla, Julio López and Esperanza Parada, and Amalia Avia.
More information at www.murecalmeria.es