This is yours truly with another episode of some news from Spain !!! thanks to you all. There is lots of things going on in my beloved Spain, and Fall is under way ! I am eagerly looking forward to be back to Spain too!! Let me tell you the latest tidbits of news chosen by yours truly, By the way CXXXIV is old Roman for 134, Enjoy it as Spain is everything under the Sun!
There are few days left for Halloween, the most terrifying holiday of the year that has become one of the most anticipated celebrations. Anyone looking for a different experience can opt to visit these abandoned towns in Spain full of history and the occasional ghost,,,,
The legend of Rodén el Viejo (province of Zaragoza), This Aragonese town suffered the consequences of the Spanish Civil War with the dismantling of most of the houses. Currently known as Rodén el Viejo (old) to differentiate it from the new one, Before its abandonment it was made up of about 80 houses that formed a crescent on the side of a hill crowned by a church. Today, the entire structure of its streets is maintained and you can walk among the ruins,
The Celtiberian past in Turruncun (La Rioja), This village in ruins in which they say that some other ghost haunts was annexed to the Riojan town of Arnedo. It is a mining area, so, at the time, it was built for workers to live there. Thanks to its location, you can not only visit Turruncún, but also, a few km away, you will find the Museum and Interpretation Center of the Contrebia Leucade archaeological site, of Celtiberian origin,
The Pueblo or town Museum of Granadilla (Càceres), Considered a town-museum, it is part of the Program for the Reconstruction of Abandoned Towns. Its main street, now rehabilitated, is made up of colorful houses. Despite the renovation work, the town in the province of Cáceres, which is not lacking in legends linked to the afterlife, has a multitude of structures that are still in ruins, which speak of its past.
On April 8, 1973, the master of 20C art died, working, in his home in the town of Mougins, département 06 of Alpes-Maritimes,in the region of PACA or Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (France). Next year marks the 50th anniversary of this event, but the exhibitions that celebrate the so-called Picasso Year have already started. A year in which the artistic legacy of the author and the validity of his work are vindicated through 42 exhibitions and events in more than 38 institutions in Europe and the United States. 12 exhibitions in France, seven in the United States, two in Germany, another two in Switzerland and one in Monaco, Romania and Belgium respectively. In Spain, how could it be otherwise, the country that will host the largest number of exhibitions around his figure, no less than 16 exhibitions so varied in form and substance that they will allow art lovers to immerse themselves in the most avant-garde Picasso , in the most classic, in the potter, in the playboy, etc, I will tell you some of them below, enjoy them,
Pablo Picasso and the Dematerization of Sculpture, Fundación MAPFRE. From September 23, 2022 to January 8, 2023. At its headquarters on Paseo de Recoletos, Madrid, you can already enjoy an exhibition in which the sculptor Picasso becomes the protagonist along with his friend and colleague Julio González. The joint work of both artists has been considered by art historiography as the moment in which the “invention” of iron sculpture occurs and, therefore, the introduction of abstraction in the sculptural territory.
Picasso and Chanel. Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum , Madrid, From October 11, 2022 to January 15, 2023, the Thyssen pays its personal tribute to the figure of Picasso through his relationship with another illustrious character of the 20th century, Coco Chanel. The show explores the relationship between these two great geniuses, once again merging art and fashion in an exhibition montage divided into four large sections that address Picasso’s artistic production and his influence on fashion from 1910 to 1930.
White Picasso in the Blue Memory, Museum of Fine Arts of A Coruña From March 23, 2023 to June 23, 2023. one of the main scenes of Picasso’s childhood, will pay his personal tribute to the artist with this exhibition. Through a hundred pieces, the exhibition will discuss the painter’s relationship with A Coruña and the crucial role that the city played in his artistic development.
Picasso, masterpieces from the Nahmad Collection, Royal Academy of San Fernando.,Madrid, From March 29, 2023 to July 2, 2023 This exhibition will be a unique opportunity to contemplate almost 30 paintings by the artist, from some of his early blue period to later ones. Many of them have not been seen in Spain until now, since they belong to the private collection of the Syrian businessman David Nahmad.
Picasso, Body and Matter.Museo Picasso de Màlaga from May 8, 2023 to September 10, 2023.The sculptor Picasso will be the protagonist of this exhibition in which the infinite plurality of styles that he used to sculpturally represent the human figure. Pieces in wood, bronze, iron, cement, steel or plaster that reflect the mastery and genius of the artist also in sculpture.
The Last Picasso (1963-1972), La Casa Encendida Madrid. From May 19, 2023 to September 17, 2023, the institution proposes in this exhibition a new reading of the last 10 years of Picasso’s creation, through the eyes of a contemporary artist, whose name is still unknown . Its objective will be to convert this exhibition into a synthesis, a testament and analysis of the possibilities for the future of this stage of Picasso,
Picasso – El Greco, Prado National Museum.,Madrid, From June 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023. The influence of El Greco’s work on the early stages of Picasso’s artistic career is indisputable. Those elongated figures of his blue period and the division of planes of his proto-cubist works would not have existed without the profound knowledge of him from the Greek master. an exhibition in which works by both geniuses are interspersed to understand and see, face to face, the clear influences of El Greco on the work of Picasso,
The Las Edades de Pablo or years of Pablo. Casa Natal Birthplace Museum -Màlaga. From June 13, 2023 to September 17, 2023, in the hometown of Picasso you can enjoy this chronological tour of the artist’s work through paintings, drawings, sculptures and photographs made from his formative years until his last stage on the blue coast. The exhibition will be an opportunity to see, in situ, the technical and stylistic evolution of the genius from Malaga throughout his life.
Picasso vs Velàzquez, Casa Velazquez, Madrid. From September to November 2023, the version of Las Meninas that Picasso painted in 1957 is the starting point for this exhibition. Graphic works, photography, letters, audiovisual documents and some works created by renowned contemporary artists, will propose a poetic-aesthetic journey focused on the creation of the Malaga genius and its different variations.
Picasso, the Sacred and the Profane, Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza , Madrid, From October 4, 2023 to January 14, 2024, This small-format exhibition will address, through 30 works, Picasso’s relationship with the themes and genres of art traditional. From history, religion or myths to his personal conception of portraits and still lifes. In this way, the rupture and transgression that the ‘Picassian’ style supposed with the conception and treatment of academic art will be analyzed.
Picasso 1906: The Great Transformation, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía ,Madrid, From November 2023 to March 4, 2024, 1906 was a decisive year in the artist’s career, at that time he began to reformulate his artistic experience by establishing synergies with cultures primitives. This exhibition will show us through drawings and sketchbooks what this “great transformation” of Picasso’s work was like.
You have a full year of Picasso, the artist before you. Very famous not my favorite, but enjoy it anyway.
The town of Buitrago de Lozoya was a fantasy trip when a child with my dear late mother Gladys and has continue throughout the years, Its a must to visit, Let me tell why , me think,
It is one of the most unique and best preserved medieval complexes in the Community of Madrid, possibly the most beautiful town on the Lozoya River and the place where a museum of the Malaga genius (Picasso) is hidden. A friendship that was born in exile and that would last until the end of his days. Pablo Picasso and his barber, Eugenio Arias, a resident of Buitrago de Lozoya, met in Vallauris, (Alpes Maritimes dept 06 of France) a small town on the riviera. The man from Malaga worked in a ceramics workshop and Arias had just opened a hairdressing salon. It was the year 1948. Both bullfighting, both communists, both exiles. For 25 years they forged a great friendship. Picasso would give the Madrid hairdresser a whole collection of drawings, engravings and writings. He would donate everything to his town, Buitrago de Lozoya. It is the history of the Picasso Museum that hides this spectacular walled town 70 km from Madrid city. On the eve of the Picasso Year, which commemorates the 50th anniversary of his death, it is appropriate to remember this unusual museum. The only one with almost all its pieces dedicated “To my friend Arias”. The only one whose works are all a gift. There are photographs, ceramics, graphic work… One of the jewels of the museum is the pyro-engraved box (with fire marks) decorated with bullfighting motifs that Picasso gave the barber to store his scissors and utensils some 70 works !
The town of Buitrago de Lozoya has a walled perimeter, which is preserved in its entirety, is built on an old caliphal fortress. It is more than 800 meters long, 9 meters high and more than 3 meters thick. Almost everything can be walked freely, except the Albarrana or Clock Tower, where visitors are asked for a 2-euro entrance fee. Atop this 16-meters high pentagonal structure is a display of gruesome medieval weapons, plus, sure enough, the guts of the clock. The Church of Santa María del Castillo, built on an old mosque, is another of the site’s jewels, although it was devastated during the Spanish Civil War. It does, however, preserve a fabulous Neo-Mudejar coffered ceiling that was restored in the 1980s thanks to the tenacity of a local priest. The castle was built in the 15C by the Mendozas. The Marquis of Santillana liked to spend a lot of time in Buitrago because here he met with fellow poet Juan de Mena. Another inhabitant of the fortress was Juana la Beltraneja, daughter of Enrique IV, whom the Mendozas protected behind those walls. The parade ground, today in ruins, was a bullring for 20 years. It has a snow well from which it is known that the ice was taken by donkey to Madrid for the San Isidro festivities. The enclosure also has a medieval garden. It is not surprising that the oldest and most historic Living Nativity Scene in the Community of Madrid is celebrated here at Christmas.
The Buitrago de Lozoya tourist office: https://turismo.buitrago.org/planos-y-guias-turisticas
From October 18 to November 6, 2022, the Teatros del Canal and several scenic spaces in the Comunidad de Madrid will host the 17th edition of the Suma Flamenca festival, which, like every year, will include the representation of numerous shows where leading figures of the current flamenco, This year’s program will feature the presence of artists such as Tomatito, Mayte Martín, Carmen Linares, Juan Carmona “Habichuela”, Patricia Guerrero, Capullo de Jerez and Carmen Cortés, among many others. As a prelude to Suma Flamenca, the cycle Suma Flamenca Joven (youth) is presented in the Sala Verde of the Teatros del Canal. An appointment that this year takes place from September 22 to 25, 2022 and that will include a sample of concert guitarists, singers and dancers under 30 years of age. The 2022 program will begin with the performance of flamenco guitarist Tomatito presenting his show De la Plaza Vieja a Santa Ana (from old square to St Anne square) in which he is accompanied by a group of musicians carefully selected for their affinity with the gypsy musical spirit to share that captivating rhythm and emotional power. For her part, the cantaora Carmen Linares (Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts 2022) premieres the concert Carmen Linares sings to Madrid with a repertoire of the most essential cantes she has sung in the city. A unique concert with which she wants to offer the Madrid public a great tribute to Madrid. The Teatros del Canal are the nerve center of the festival, although the programming will also take place in other spaces such as the Teatro de La Abadía, the Cuarta Pared venue, the Carlos III Royal Coliseum (El Escorial), the Pilar Miró Cultural Center, the Gilitos Sociocultural Center (Alcalá de Henares), the Paco Rabal Cultural Center, the Sierra Norte Regional Center for Humanities (La Cabrera), MIRA Theater (Pozuelo de Alarcón), the Royal Monastery of Santa María de El Paular (Rascafría) and the Theater Jaime Salom (Parla). For my part the Teatros del Canal webpage : https://www.teatroscanal.com/
And the Comunidad de Madrid on the Suma Flamenca festival :https://www.madrid.org/sumaflamenca/2022/index.html
There you go folks, another dandy tour of my beloved Spain ! As said Fall season is under way with all those shades and cool evenings to be cozy and homey again. Time to enjoy my dear Spain once again, and we are gear up for it! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
And remember ,happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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