The Museum of Fine Arts in Jaén, under the Ministry of Culture and Sports, has inaugurated, coinciding with the 110th anniversary of the institution’s opening to the public, the new exhibition hall in the north pavilion with an exhibition showcasing one of the main collections preserved by the art gallery, the graphic art collection.
The exhibition, inaugurated by the Director General of Museums and Sets, Aurora Villalobos, along with the territorial delegate of Culture and Sports, José Ayala, brings together a total of 75 pieces and invites citizens to explore the best collections from the 18th to the 21st centuries, in a discourse that progresses through the different techniques and styles that characterize the various artistic periods covered in the exhibition.
According to Villalobos, this exhibition «offers visitors the opportunity to discover one of the most important collections at a national level». It is an exhibition that will lead to new ones, as the artworks will rotate for conservation purposes and to be displayed in subsequent exhibitions due to their large number. In parallel to the exhibition, the Ministry will publish a catalog that will allow for a deeper understanding of each of the assets in this collection.
From the engraving techniques of the 18th century, aimed at reproducing great pictorial works, to the most recent trends, with the perspectives of Ángeles Agrela or Soledad Sevilla, the exhibition seeks to attract the public and show them one of the most unique collections of the Jaén museum, where the complete series of Francisco de Goya’s Caprichos is preserved.
The exhibition also explores the path towards new artistic forms, with masters like Ricardo Baroja, Pablo Picasso, or Manuel Ángeles Ortiz, who pave the way for new forms and techniques, anticipating the works that will unfold throughout the 20th century. The discourse progresses through the major national collections that are being added to the museum, including the collection from Dimitri Papagueorguiu’s workshop, featuring pieces that include works by Eduardo Chillida or José Guerrero, among others.
This graphic art collection – with over 1,300 pieces – includes the Boj collection, by Spanish authors, gathering pieces by artists such as Antonio López, Daniel Vázquez Díaz, or Benjamín Palencia, the collection of National Awards, highlighting names like Luis Gordillo or Manuel Mompó, or the La polígrafa S.A. collection, featuring a selection of international master artists, including Christo, Zao Wou-Ki, Eduardo Arroyo, or Josep Guinovart.
The artists from Jaén will also be represented in this exhibition with the works of Miguel Viribay, Francisco Carrillo, Manuel Kayser, Dolores Montijano, as well as other authors who are part of the diverse cultural context of graphic art in the province.
For this exhibition, where the institution’s collection of engravings is displayed on a rotating basis, over 90 pieces of works, mostly from the old collection of the Museum of Jaén, have been restored. During these efforts, a significant number of works from the national calcography funds have been recovered, now displayed restored for the first time in the exhibition.
The newly renovated permanent exhibition hall of the museum, completely renovated in its facilities and museography, will remain open from Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 to 21:00, and on Sundays from 9:00 to 15:00, following the museum’s opening hours.