Spanish King and Queen Open Francisco de Goya Exhibition in Havana

Spanish monarchs Philip VI and Letizia attended the opening of the exhibition of the most iconic self-portrait of Iberian painter Francisco de Goya (1746-1828), dating from 1815, at the Universal Art Building of the National Fine Arts Museum (MNBA), as part of their first official visit to Cuba.

As the Spanish King and Queen, the piece arrived in Havana in greeting to the 500th anniversary of the foundation of this city, and will be exhibited at the MNBA Temporary Room during one month.

The first Goya brought to Cuban soil is one of the great treasures of the famous Prado National Museum, in Madrid, which has lent it to the MNBA despite its restrictive lending policy in 2019.

Jorge Fernandez, director of the MNBA, told the press that Goya was chosen for the occasion because he is an artist closer to the history and foundation of the art academy in Cuba, San Alejandro, which had a focus on its equivalent in San Fernando, where the Spanish artist played an important role with his work as an artist and teacher.