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What's on in Madrid - Archives
León Ferrari and Mira Schendel: The furious alphabet
Wednesday, November 25th 2009
25 November 2009 - 1 March 2010. Swiss artist Mira Schendel (1919-1988) and Argentinian artist León Ferrari (b.1920) have both based their visual practice on the written word. The artists worked independently of each other, on opposite sides of the planet, but shared a common artistic goal in chasing the letters of alphabets and capturing them on canvas. These painted letters do not speak a recognisable language but rather they present themselves in a purely visual and eclectic manner. The exhibition comes from New York's MoMa, consists of 160 pieces and displays the artists' love of letters, in all their furious glory. Wed-Mon: 10.00-21.00 Sun: 10.00-14.30. (Free admission Saturday afternoon and Sunday) more
Wednesday, September 23rd 2009
23 September 2009 - 25 February 2010. Madrid's Museo de América presents an exhibition of extremely rare Peruvian artefacts from a bygone age. The items include textiles, pottery and metals, and date back to between 100 BC and 200 AD. Each object is associated with the ancient Paracas people and formed part of that civilisation's elaborate burial ceremonies. The exhibition has been titled 'Cloaks for Eternity' in reference to the well preserved, intricately designed cloaks worn in Paracas society. Mon-Sat 09.30-15.00, Sun 10.0-15.00 more
Tuesday, October 20th 2009
20 October 2009 - 31 January 2010. Comprising European sculpture and paintings from the 19th century which represent figures and scenes from classical mythology, this exhibition takes its name from the last book written by Georges Bataille: 'Les Larmes d'Éros' (1961). This was a theme about which Bataille had written extensively, namely his fascination with the 'intimate relationship between Eros and Thanatos, between sex and death'. The Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza makes links between Bataille's beliefs and the music of Wagner, the poetry of the Romantics and the Ancient Greeks, and the sculpture of Bernini and Michelangelo. Tues-Sun 10.00-19.00 more
Wednesday, October 14th 2009
14 October 2009 - 11 January 2010. Although Roman artist Francesco Lo Savio lived a short life, his artistic legacy is phenomenal. The prolific career of Lo Savio (1935-1963) remains remarkable due to his work pre-dating not one but two important art movements: Minimalism in America and Conceptual Art in Europe. It is only now that Lo Savio is acknowledged for the extraordinary contribution he made to world art in the second half of the 20th century. The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía is currently staging an exhibition of around 80 per cent of Lo Savio's work completed before his untimely death. Mon: 10.00-21.00 Wed-Sat: 10.00-21.00 Sun: 10.00-14.30 Closed Tuesday more
Sunday, October 25th 2009
25 October 2009 - 6 January 2010. Originally published in 1900, L. Frank Baum's book 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' has enjoyed over a hundred years of immense popularity, with the technicolour cinematic version starring Judy Garland also becoming a worldwide hit in 1939. The book has been translated into over 40 languages, and the film is transmitted regularly on television. With such enduring appeal, the Teatro Príncipe Gran Via is guaranteed large audiences with their stage version. Dedicated almost exclusively to comedy theatre, with some exceptions, the theatre can be found in Madrid's main shopping quarter. Tues-Sun: 16.30 more
Fantin-Latour: Painter of Intimate Worlds
Tuesday, September 29th 2009
29 September 2009 - 10 January 2010. Born in Grenoble, France, the artist Henri Fantin-Latour (1836-1904) was a contemporary of impressionist pioneers such as Degas and Manet. Despite a similarity in style to the impressionists, and perhaps unfairly, Fantin-Latour was never judged to be in the same league as his contemporaries. The artist is famous for his paintings of flowers, still lives and allegoric scenes, all painted in an impressionistic but realistic manner. The Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza has sourced over 70 works from the collections of private individuals and international museums to offer a comprehensive overview of Fantin-Latour's artistic career. Tues-Sun: 10.00-19.00 more
Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria
Friday, September 18th 2009
18 Sept-13 Dec 2009. Ife is the ancient city state and native land of the Yoruba culture in Nigeria which, in the 15th century, became the capital city of Benin. This exhibition, which is on loan from the Nigerian government's national commission for museums and monuments, contains over a hundred pieces of Ife art such as terracotta, bronze, stone and glass. Also included are three sculptures from the 14th century made from pure copper, cast in a sophisticated manner using wax. Interestingly, at that time this advanced practice was thought impossible in Europe. Tues-Sat 09.00-17.00, Sun 09.00-14.30 more
Thursday, July 2nd 2009
2 July - 1 Nov 2009. Due to the refurbishment of the Museo del Greco in Toledo, one of El Greco's most famous paintings, 'View of Toledo' is to be housed in Madrid's Prado Museum. Born on the island of Crete in 1541, El Greco studied extensively in Italy before moving to the Spanish city of Toledo in 1577 where he remained until his death in 1614. Known as the architect of the Spanish renaissance, El Greco was a master of Mannerism and is widely recognised as being 'ahead of his time' by being 300 years early for the expressionist movement. Tues-Sun 09.00-20.00 (Free admission: Tues-Sat: 18.00 - 20.00 and all day Sunday) more
Tuesday, June 2nd 2009
2 June 2009 - 1 January 2010. Real Fábrica was a 19th century factory which transformed Madrid as a city and produced all manner of merchandise from furniture to china. Many of these objects, as well as selected pieces representative of 18th and 19th Madrid, are currently on display in the beautifully restored Centro Cultural Conde Duque. This multipurpose cultural centre hosts about a dozen artistic and historical exhibitions annually. As well as hosting open air concerts in the summer, the building is home to the Museo Municipal de Arte Contemporáneo and the city's newspaper archive. Tues-Sat 10.00-14.00 and 18.00-21.00, Sun 10.30-14.00. Closed Monday. more
Camboya, Tierra de Esperanza (Cambodia, Land of Hope)
Friday, June 19th 2009
19 June - 18 October 2009. Cambodia has suffered tremendously for many years due to war and famine. 'Camboya, Tierra de Esperanza' documents the lives of anonymous people whose bravery in the face of a living hell is now reflected in their determination to rebuild their country. Based on the documentaries and photographs by Oriol Gispert and Gervasio Sáncheez, the exhibition is divided into three sections, the shocking past: 'Mines, Sowing Pain', the struggling present: 'Rice, Fields of Life' and the hopefully brighter future: 'Building Roads'. Mon - Sun 10.00-20.00. Free admission more