Mythos Spanien. Ignacio Zuloaga

In the organizer's words:

The Bucerius Kunst Forum is celebrating with the exhibition Mythos Spanien. Ignacio Zuloaga (1870-1945), the Bucerius Kunst Forum celebrates the great rediscovery of an artist whose paintings embody the identity of Spain to this day. The show, developed in cooperation with the Kunsthalle München, is the first comprehensive retrospective of the Spanish painter in Germany.

Zuloaga, an international star of the art scene during his lifetime, shaped the image of Spain around 1900 like hardly anyone else, and many of his paintings still embody Spain's identity for us today. In his large-format paintings, he depicts toreros and flamenco dancers, but also the simple life in the countryside. He also created numerous expressive portraits of well-known cultural and political figures. His interpretations of hermits in vast, barren, sometimes mystical landscapes are reminiscent of the artistic legacy of El Greco, while Francisco de Goya and Diego Velázquez were also important role models for the artist. In times of industrialization and Spain's orientation towards European modernism, the artist wanted to preserve the "Spanish soul" and posed the question of the country's identity: Tradition or modernity, reflection on one's own or opening up to Europe? Questions that are still relevant today.

This comprehensive retrospective presents around 80 paintings by the great Spanish painter from the period between 1890 and 1941 and invites visitors to rediscover the complexity of his oeuvre.