The Imitation of the Real

The Museo del Prado is presenting “The Imitation of the Real. Spanish Still Lifes from the Naseiro Collection acquired by the Prado” (24 October 2006 - 7 January 2007), an exhibition of the forty Spanish still lifes from the collection of Rosendo Naseiro which was acquired this July on the initiative of the Ministry of Culture and through the acceptance of the paintings by the Ministry of Finance in lieu of tax from BBVA bank.

The acquisition of the Naseiro Collection, valued at 26 million Euros, is one of the most important additions to the Prado’s collection in its entire history. The forty selected works constitute a unique group that offers an overview of almost the entire history of the still life in Spain. The collection includes masterpieces within this genre, such as Juan van der Hamen’s signed Still Life with Artichokes and Vases of Flowers (1627).

The group also contains other outstanding works by Juan Fernández “El Labrador”, Juan de Espinosa, Tomás Hiepes, Pedro Camprobín, Juan de Arellano and Luis Meléndez, as well as notably fine examples by a further nine artists not previously represented in the Museum’s collections.

The evolution of the genre of the still life (the bodegón or naturaleza muerta) in Spanish painting from the 16th to the 20th centuries is one of the most unique chapters within modern European art. With the acquisition of the Naseiro Collection, the Museo del Prado will become a key reference point in this material as its collections will include almost all the leading artists who have worked in this genre in Spain, from its earliest representatives such as Sánchez Cotán to Goya.

Pressetext

The Imitation of the Real
Spanish Still Lifes from the Naseiro Collection acquired by the Prado

Werke von Juan de Arellano, Pedro Camprobin, Juan de Espinosa, Juan Fernandez, Juan van der Hamen, Tomas Hiepes, Luis Melendez ...