El triunfo de la imagen exhibition

The community of Madrid is organizing an ambitious exhibition about the historical heritage of the region, guarded in monasteries, churches, cathedrals and convents in Madrid, and which have been restored over the years.

The exhibition, which is carried out in collaboration with the Catholic Church, is titled El triunfo de la imagen and will be displayed from February 20 until mid-April at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in San Fernando. It will include 62 pieces of great artistic quality, more than a third of which are unknown to the public (they are in buildings closed to general access or belong to closing spaces).

With this great exhibition, the Employment, Tourism and Culture, through the General Directorate of historic heritage, aims to bring citizens to the richness and variety of the heritage kept in temples and monasteries of the Catholic Church, as well as publicize the intense work of preservation of cultural property, as well as the significance of the public investment in the restoration of the historical heritage.

El triunfo de la imagen will highlight the important role of the Madrid artistic production linked to the work of patronage throughout the history by the Catholic Church, and will reveal the position of Madrid in the artistic field: a center of great magnitude with works of exceptional quality.

From anonymous authors to Van Dyck

Among the selected works include carvings,  triptychs, textiles, paintings, sculptures, reliquaries or engravings, dating back the Middle Ages until the war of independence, carried out by authors of all kind, from anonymous until renown authors like Lucas Jordán or VanDyck.

In addition, they will include a selection of real estate through guided tours planned in the exhibition and different images and videos including the Cathedral of Santa María Magdalena, in Getafe, the Nuestra Señora de la Asunción Basilica, in Colmenar Viejo; the Bishop Chapel, in Madrid; the Clarisas Convent, in Chinchón, and the El Paular Monastery, in Rascafría.

On the occasion of this exhibition, curated by José María Quesada, director of Art and Antiquities from the Fernando Durán room, the community of Madrid will publish a complete catalogue with texts, delving into the relevance of the selected works as well as their restorations.