Goya

The Beyeler Foundation, in conjunction with the Museo Nacional del Prado, has organised the most comprehensive exhibition of works by Francisco de Goya (1746–1828) ever presented outside Spain, and one of the most in-depth of all the shows on this artist. On this occasion, El Viso has published the Spanish edition of the exhibition catalogue in conjunction with the Beyeler Foundation and the German publisher Hatje-Cantz. This large-format book with almost 300 illustrations brings together essays by noted international Goya experts: Andreas Beyer, Helmut C. Jacobs, Ioana Jimborean, José Manuel Matilla, Mark McDonald, Manuela B. Mena Marqués, Gudrun Maurer, Martin Schwander, Colm Tóibín and Bodo Vischer.

Goya occupies an ambiguous position on the threshold of modernity: he is one of the last great masters in the European tradition of chamber painters while also being the creator of enigmatic, disturbing paintings which he made within an unheard-of sphere of artistic freedom that he himself created. In both the selection of works and their presentation, this volume aspires to reflect the complex, ambiguous corpus of Goya’s output based on a selection of paintings, drawings and engravings. These works are presented under equal conditions, as the only way possible to appreciate the peerless wealth and diversity of the artistic universe of this artist, a brilliant and passionate defender of the autonomy and freedom of the creative spirit.