A unique time in the history of art, a period of special ebullition for Western culture. This is what characterizes the years around 1500, a time in which we witness the birth and configuration of the modern States that gave rise to our current world.

In this context, the demographic, economic and territorial expansion experienced by the Hispanic kingdoms in the passage from the 15th to the 16th century will have its inevitable reflection in art, which was considered by kings, nobles and ecclesiastics as an effective propaganda instrument. Flanders and Italy will thus become the main artistic foci of the moment, places to learn from and to fixate on, establishing a series of fruitful trips back and forth with these territories between works, artists and iconographic models that demonstrate that art did not understand borders or rivalries.

This very crucial moment is what is embodied in  Modern times , the exhibition hosted by the Palau de Villena of the Museo Nacional de Escultura de Valladolid until March 17, 2024.

The old doors of the College of Sant Gregori welcome visitors as a symbol of the entrance to a new era, reflected in the collections on display. Here you can see sculptural works in various types, sizes and formats, which coexist with other productions of the moment made in the most diverse supports and which enrich and contextualize the exhibition discourse: paintings on table, textiles, goldsmithery, documents, drawings...

All these pieces come from different parts of the Spanish geography. A plurality well represented by the diversity of participating lending institutions, ranging from large museums to ecclesiastical institutions. Some of them are located in the so-called empty Spain, which shows the wide and rich heritage of the rural environment, sometimes unknown to the general public.

Place : National Sculpture Museum, Valladolid

Dates : From December 12, 2023 to March 17, 2024

The Museum has loaned a work: