The painter Antonio Lopez one of his works is already hanging -temporarily- at the National Archaeological Museum, same building that houses his admired sculpture of ‘The Lady of Elche’, thanks to the temporary loan to the art gallery of the painting ‘View of Madrid’.
“Spain has been painted little“, lamented the painter during the presentation of this invited work, on loan from the BBVA Collection that will be present in the museum hall, next to the Vitrina Cero that also houses the exhibition ‘A decade after the reform of the National Archaeological Museum (2014-2024)’ inaugurated this Monday, April 15.
‘View of Madrid (Archaeological Museum from Serrano Street)‘ is a large-format painting, begun in 1961 and completed a year later, in which a view of the façade of the building can be seen from Serrano Street. When you look at it in detail, you discover a couple of lovers secretly kissing at the top of a tree..
“I have never before shown where the Lady of Elche is and that is something that is priceless.“, explained López to thank the entry of one of his works – framed within magical realism – in the Archaeological Museum. The artist explained what the painting process was like and the importance that ‘portraits’ of cities like Madrid have for him. .
“Spain has been painted little but because the commissions have been for religious themes, portraits…but in me it is an impulse”, He pointed out, and then pointed out that Madrid has been one of his “central themes” in his career because it has been the city in which he has lived. In the case of these views, it was the first commission she received and his second ‘portrait’ of Madrid.
López has indicated that she located a space to paint in an apartment with a terrace on Serrano Street thanks to a friend. The conditions in which she created this painting were not easy, since she painted it in a very cold time. “My wife came to make me a cape, it snowed several days, but I was young and had a lot of energy.“, he commented with humor.
The director of the museum, Isabel Izquierdo, has celebrated being able to have one of “the most iconic images” of the museum, a work that she considers “very evocative.” ““It has an important documentary and historical value, because it shows a significant stage of the museum and, in addition, requires a careful look because there are some surprises.”he has indicated.
On the other hand, the new Vitrina Cero, under the title ‘A decade after the reform of the National Archaeological Museum (2014-2024)’, is an exhibition space that is renewed quarterly and in which the museum’s archive brings to light, between April and July, various cultural assets related to the history and the latest architectural intervention of the building, coinciding with the tenth anniversary of the reopening.
In its almost 160 years of history, the museum has witnessed numerous architectural renovations. At the end of the 20th century, intense planning and design work began that led to a large-scale architectural and museographic renovation.
In addition, the showcase will be accompanied by two photographs taken by José Manuel Ballester and a screen where you can see a selection of digital images of the renovation. The new Zero Showcase can be visited from April 16 to July 14, 2024 in the entrance hall to the MAN permanent exhibition.