To coincide with the 200th anniversary of the events of May 1808 and the start of the Spanish War of Independence, the Museo del Prado is presenting a major exhibition this spring devoted to Goya. It focuses on the two great canvases of the 2nd and 3rd of May 1808 in Madrid which are currently being cleaned and restored, while also analysing and presenting Goya in a broader context. The exhibition, which features almost 200 works by the artist, has been jointly organised by the Museo del Prado and the SECC*, with the support of the Region of Madrid. It falls within the framework of the commemorative programme sponsored by the National Committee for the Bicentenary of the Spanish War of Independence.
With the present exhibition, the Museo del Prado is commemorating the bicentenary of the start of the Spanish War of Independence. It will offer the visiting public the chance to see a group of almost 200 works by Goya. In addition to works on paper, they include more than 65 paintings loaned from other institutions and private collections, including Majas on the Balcony and Portrait of the Marchioness of Montehermoso, both from private collections; Friar Pedro de Zaldivia clubs Maragato the Bandit from The Art Institute of Chicago; The Capture of Christ from Toledo Cathedral, and a group of nine works loaned by the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Madrid. The latter are essential to the theme of the exhibition and will be presented for the first time within the context of Goya's artistic development. Both the number of works on display and their outstanding quality make this the most important international exhibition on Goya since the one also organised by the Prado in 1996.