Culture presents the celebration of the Bicentenary of Goya's death

The Minister for Culture, Ernest Urtasun, and the President of the Government of Aragon, Jorge Azcón, have presented the celebration of the Bicentenary of Goya's death in Zaragoza. The event took place in the Cartuja de Aula Dei in Zaragoza, and the team of commissioners and the first activities that are already being prepared for this commemoration, which will be celebrated throughout 2028, were announced.

During his speech, the Minister for Culture, Ernest Urtasun, pointed out that "culture, art and artistic creation are the true social glue of our time, the meeting point, the civic agora in which all understanding is possible. It was like that a hundred years ago, and it will be like that once again in 2028, centred on Francisco de Goya." He added that "Goya Year 2028 is already a project of the Spanish State, an emblem of Spanish culture in the highest expression of its universality and an opportunity to rethink Goya in the light of this time of ours which is also, in a Goyaesque and surprising way, its own time".

The President of the Government of Aragon, Jorge Azcón, stressed that "the bicentenary offers us the opportunity to settle the debt we owe the genius, not to remember that he was a great artist, but to vindicate him as from Aragon." Moreover, "this bicentenary is a strategic opportunity for Aragon. To project our culture, our heritage, our history and our identity nationally and internationally. To put us back in our rightful place," Azcón advocated.

During the event, the curators who will be in charge of designing the Ministry of Culture's programme for this commemoration were presented. They are Concha Lomba Serrano, Professor of Art History and Director of the Institute for Research in Heritage and Humanities at the University of Zaragoza; Alfonso Palacio, Deputy Director of Conservation and Research at the Museo Nacional del Prado; Eva Alquézar, Director of the Museo de Zaragoza; and Rocío García Ipiña, independent curator and Associate Professor in the Department of Art Theory and History at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, who recently co-curated the inaugural exhibition of the Europalia Spain 2025 festival, 'Light and Shadow. Goya and Spanish realism'.

The first step towards this celebration was the creation of the National Commission for the Commemoration of the Bicentenary of the death of Francisco de Goya, approved by the Council of Ministers on 3 February, at the proposal of the Minister for Culture. The aim of this National Commission is to promote and coordinate all the bicentenary activities through collaboration between national and international public administrations, as well as with public and private entities specialising in the life and work of Francisco de Goya.

Zaragoza has been chosen to host this first presentation because of its special relationship with the painter. Goya spent his childhood and youth in the Aragonese capital and came into contact with local artists of the time, including his mentor and master Francisco Bayeu. In addition, the Charterhouse in Aula Dei, which hosted today's presentation, houses oil paintings by the artist himself in his early years.

First activities for the commemoration

During the presentation, some of the activities that are underway or planned for 2027 and 2028 were presented. The cities of Zaragoza and Madrid will be the two most important venues for the commemoration, due to their unique links with Goya, although there will be activities and exhibitions throughout Spain and internationally.

The Prado Museum, which holds the largest collection of the painter's works, will be organising a wide-ranging programme to celebrate Goya, in which it will examine the lesser-studied aspects of his work, as well as the contemporaneity and relevance of his legacy. Among the exhibitions on which work has already begun is 'Goya and Religion', which will present a novel and ambitious approach to Goya's work with respect to the historical moment of profound transformation of religion in Europe and Spain, such as the one in which the painter lived.

For its part, the Royal Collections Gallery will present a major exhibition on Francisco de Goya's arrival at the Court and his first years of work in contact with the royal palaces and their collections. The exhibition will explore how the royal collections influenced the formation of Goya's style and later career, focusing mainly on tapestries made from the cartoons designed by the painter.

Another outstanding activity is the exhibition currently on display at the San Telmo Museum in San Sebastian, which presents the complete series of 80 engravings 'The Disasters of War' by Goya, owned by the museum, and which are combined with the gaze of contemporary creators.

For its part, the city of Zaragoza will host a wide-ranging exhibition programme that has already begun with the show 'Goya. From the museum to the palace', which can currently be visited at the Palacio de la Aljafería. The initial programme includes exhibitions in venues such as the Pablo Serrano Museum, La Casa de los Morlanes, the Lonja de Zaragoza, the Palacio de Montemuzo and various travelling exhibitions that will tour the Aragonese territory. The Government of Aragon is also building the Goya Centre in Plaza del Pilar in the capital of Aragon, a space which will reflect the character of Aragon and which will allow the work of the genius to be seen from this new perspective.

In addition, the bicentenary programme will include specialised publications, creative workshops, audiovisual works, symposiums and congresses that will allow us to delve deeper into the figure of Goya and bring him closer to all kinds of audiences.

The National Bicentennial Commission

The National Commission for the Commemoration of the Bicentenary of the death of Francisco de Goya will have an honorary presidency held by the King and Queen of Spain, and will be chaired by the President of the Government of Spain. The Ministers for Culture, Foreign Affairs, the EU and Cooperation, and Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory will be the first, second and third vice-presidents of the Government of Spain, respectively.

They shall also include representatives of other public sector entities, bodies or institutions of recognised prestige in the cultural and artistic sphere, or which carry out activities linked to the activity or artistic legacy of Francisco de Goya. The Plenary will include representatives of prestigious private institutions related to the study of the artist's life and work, or dedicated to the promotion of culture, both nationally and internationally, with special attention to institutions and organisations in Aragon.

This body will be responsible for integrating all the initiatives and proposals to commemorate the event, offering a cohesive and coordinated project. Its constitutive meeting will be convened soon, at which its functioning will be established and a roadmap will be proposed for the institutions involved in the commemoration to work on.

Bicentenary of Goya's death

The year 2028 marks two centuries since the death of Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, who died in Bordeaux on 16 April 1828. Born in Fuendetodos, Zaragoza, in 1746, he is internationally recognised as one of the most important artists in the history of art.

A key figure in Spanish and universal painting, his legacy had a decisive influence on the development of contemporary languages. Considered the initiator of contemporary art, Goya broke with academicism, integrated the popular and the cultured and developed a plastic language that is still in use today. His continuously evolving oeuvre expanded into drawing and printmaking, media that amplified the dissemination of his work and evidenced his political and social commitment.

A critical witness of his time, he reflected in his work decisive episodes in Spanish history, from the reign of Charles IV to the Napoleonic invasion and the arrival of liberalism. In this representation of the reality that surrounded him, he also wanted to reflect the contradictions of the human condition, avoiding a moralistic interpretation.

His legacy continues to influence generations of artists for his ability to defy convention and for an expressiveness that continues to fuel contemporary reflection.

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