Luz y Sombra. Goya and Spanish Realism
EUROPALIA SPAIN Inaugural Exhibition | With the collaboration of AC/E
Francisco de Goya, a pivotal figure in modernity, stars in the major inaugural exhibition of the EUROPALIA SPAIN project. “Luz y Sombra” reclaims Goya’s radical legacy through the work of more than seventy Spanish artists from different generations, who engage with the master around key moments and transformations in the country’s recent history. Curated by Rocío Gracia Ipiña and Leticia Sastre Sánchez, the show traverses three centuries of creativity and national identity, proposing a cross-generational perspective from the 18th to the 21st century with pieces that cover satire, abstraction, popular culture, and political critique.
Goya and what’s “Goyesque” define an entire genre in Western art. His realism and the evocative power of his prints, portraits, and popular scenes have inspired generations— from Picasso and Saura to contemporary creators who explore the relevance of the artist through new visual, sound, and literary languages. The exhibition brings together historical works alongside multidisciplinary pieces—by Asunción Molinos Gordo, Francisco Lopez, Albert Serra, among others—demonstrating the enduring legacy of Goya in Spanish artistic and intellectual creation.
The curatorial journey traces key phases in the life and work of the Aragonese painter, articulating a series of conceptual “constellations” around the ways artists, critics, and historians contrast light and shadow to rethink history, the present, and national identity. The project thus opens a reflection on the “question of Spain,” on how culture has been understood both from within and without, and on how, through Goya’s work, Spanish art collectively responds to moments of crisis and transformation, forging bridges between heritage and contemporary creation.
AC/E collaborates with EUROPALIA SPAIN e on this international initiative showcasing the richness and diversity of Spanish culture, bringing together heritage and innovation, established and emerging artists, in an ambitious dialogue between generations and with Europe. The exhibition “Luz y Sombra” can be visited at Bozar, Brussels, from October 8, 2025, to January 11, 2026.
More info:
https://europalia.eu/en/espana
https://www.bozar.be/en/calendar/luz-y-sombra-goya-and-spanish-realism
