Museo Carmen Thyssen

One of the most persevering champions of the desire to perpetuate the memory of the painter Mariano Fortuny y Marsal (Reus, 1838–Rome, 1874), acknowledged as the most international Spanish artist of the 19th century, was the Fortuny-Madrazo family. To give tangible expression to the feeling of wonder aroused by his work, his heirs decided to distribute his surviving legacy among various European cultural institutions. Their generosity enabled society to benefit from this valuable artistic heritage and their decision paid tribute to an exceptional creator.

Doing justice to the Latin motto ‘ars longa vita brevis’ [art is long, life is short], the exhibition’s narrative is intended as a celebration of Fortuny’s ability to transcend his own time. In fact, the shortness of his life and the success he achieved turned him into a figure with a mythical aura, both before and after his unexpected passing. Viewed from the perspective of contemporary sensibilities more than 150 years after his death, he emerges as an emblem of a glimpsed modernity and an unbridled ambition to go beyond the limits of visual conventions rooted in 19th-century tradition.

The selection of more than thirty works, including drawings and prints, from the collection of the Musée Goya in Castres provides an overview of some of the most significant creative episodes in the career of an artist with a special gift for drawing. This wealth of talent is illustrated by compositions that document both the variety of themes he cultivated and his great technical versatility. Another side of Fortuny shown here is that of a travelling artist whose nomadic lifestyle led him to visit and live in different European cities. Of these, Rome, which became his permanent residence, and Granada, where he lived from 1870 to 1872, decisively influenced his personal growth. Fortuny was not immune to the attraction that 19th-century art felt for Orientalist exoticism. In his case, it brought about a trip to northern Morocco in 1860 in connection with what would be one of his most ambitious paintings: the Battle of Tetouan (MNAC), which he left unfinished.

Francesc Quílez Corella. Curator of Fortuny Year

Image: Mariano Fortuny, Man Dressed in a Rag, c. 1869, c. Watercolour on paper, 328 x 232 mm. Musée Goya, Castres.