COMUNICACIÓN Y PRENSA

The National Exhibitions of Fine Arts held in Spain between 1856 and 1968 with occasional interruptions, together form over a century of events that enable us to assess the progress of Spanish art from the mid 19th century to the mid 20th. This period is perhaps too long for detailed analysis, so the book we are recommending here focuses on a part, the first fifteen years of the 20th Century.  

As in other countries, by holding these exhibitions, the Spanish government was accepting responsibility for the protection, promotion and development of Spanish art, as manifested in an official document that explained the working and organization of these exhibitions, the Royal Decree of 28th December 1853 made up of 10 articles and signed by Agustín Esteban Collantes, the Minister for Development.

These National Exhibitions offered the greatest official selection of Spanish art by living artists and was initially organized into five sections: painting, sculpture, engraving, architecture and decorative arts.  The main focus of the exhibition was however the Painting Section, followed by the sections on Sculpture and Architecture.