Page 37 - Contemporary Art and Old Masters

past and present has characterised the Fundación since
its outset, given that its first president, Enrique Lafuente
Ferrari, defended the idea that the study of the art of the
past was not incompatible with an interest in the art of
the present and that knowledge of one could help in an
understanding of the other. In pursuance of that spirit,
in 2007 and 2018 the Fundación asked two new groups
of contemporary creators to reflect on the Prado. These
three initiatives have given rise to a group of 96 works by
36 artists of different generations and styles which have
been donated to the Museum and of which a selection is
displayed here.

THE PRINTS AND DRAWINGS COMMITTEE
With the aim of stimulating donations and encouraging
members of the Círculo Velázquez to become involved in
enriching the Museum’s holdings, in 2018 the Fundación
established the Prints and Drawings Committee.

The Immaculate Conception / Fragment of a letter Bartolomé E. Murillo
(1617-1682) Black chalk, pen and iron gall ink on laid paper. Signed c.
1662–64 Donated by the Fundación Amigos del Museo del Prado and
Coca-Cola España, 1984

Concepción Serrano, later Countess of Santovenia Eduardo Rosales (1836-
1873) Oil on canvas. Signed and dated 1871. Donated by the Banco de España,
Caja Postal de Ahorros and the Fundación Amigos del Museo del Prado, 1982

Its members are committed to making special
contributions which allow for the donation of
works of this type proposed by the corresponding
department in the Prado. The Committee’s efforts
began to see results in the first year of its existence
with the donation to the Museum of a print by
Goya and a drawn copy of it by Isidoro Brun. From
the outset these works indicated the direction the
Committee would take as all its donations have
been related to the work of Goya. At the same
time they were contributions that continued and
renewed the long-standing connection between the
Fundación and Goya, the artist most extensively
represented in this exhibition. The first exhibition
organised by the Fundación was in fact Goya in
Madrid Collections, held in 1983 and curated by
Enrique Lafuente Ferrari, its first president and a
reputed specialist on the artist.

WORLD of ART 37