The Sacred Made Real. Spanish Painting and Sculpture 1600-1700

Dal Wednesday 21 October 2009
al Sunday 24 January 2010

This exhibition will bring together paintings and painted wooden sculptures by the great Spanish realists of the 17th century. ‘The Sacred Made Real’ will provide a reappraisal of the crucial role of these hyper-realist sculptures in the development of Spanish art.

Providing a unique experience, sculpture and painting will be displayed side-by-side. This will be the first major exhibition to explore this relationship.

Most Spanish sculptures from this time were dedicated to key Christian themes. ‘The Sacred Made Real’ will explore how painters and sculptors combined their skills to create arrestingly real depictions of the saints, the Immaculate Conception and the Passion of Christ.

Sculptures from this era were painstakingly carved from wood, gessoed and intricately polychromed (painted in many colours). Many of the sculptures were polychromed by Francisco Pacheco, who taught a generation of painters, including Velázquez and Cano.

In addition to important canvases by Velázquez, Cano and Zurbarán, ‘The Sacred Made Real’ will feature sculptures carved by Gregorio Fernández, Juan Martínez Montañés and Pedro de Mena, and polychromed by Francisco Pacheco and Alonso Cano.

Supported by the American Friends of the National Gallery as a result of a generous grant from Howard and Roberta Ahmanson


21 October 2009 - 24 January 2010

Sainsbury Wing Exhibition

The National Gallery
Trafalgar Square
London WC2N 5DN
Tel 020 7747 2885
information@ng-london.org.uk
www.nationalgallery.org.uk