New Year’s Eve at the symbolic center of Madrid has become more than just a celebration, it’s a global tradition in Spain and beyond. 31 December is a very special celebration, where the fun and partying go on well into the early hours at PUERTA DEL SOL where you will have a great time eating the traditional ‘lucky grapes’ Eating twelve grapes. Tradition has it that you have to eat them one by one, in time with the striking of the clock at midnight on 31 December. If you manage to eat all the grapes in time, you are in…

The Fauves. Passion For Color, journeys through the génesis and decelopment of Fauvism, controversial and exuberant movement thet entailed a renewing challenge towards the art of its time. The exibition offers an overview of the first major avant-garde artistic movement of the 20th century. The fauves, led by Henri Matisse, André Derain and Maurice de Vlaminck, really shook up the art establishment of their day with their innovative approach to the use of color, their energetic brushwork and seemingly wild execution. In 1905, their works were exhibited in the Salon d’Automne, causing such a stir among the public and the…

Long time ago, a close friend showed me a little picture at  the Prado Museum. “The Death Crist supported  by an Angel “ An angel whose emotion is difficult to express with words The table has been part of the collections of the  Prado Museum  since 1965 and is currently exhibited in the magnificent temporary exhibition “A place of memory 1819-2019” Antonello da Messina is probably the most important Renaissance painter in southern Italy, known for his early mastery of the Flemish technique in oil painting (Giorgio Vasari  at his book “ The lives of the most excellent painters…” thought…

There are few places in the world where you can enjoy works by artists of the first order uncrowded and quietly. The Sorolla Museum is one of those places. Walking through its elegant garden (that looks like they had winter outdoor landscaping in Florida done) inspired by the Andalusian gardens of Granada, Cordoba and Seville, time stops for a moment just before starting to recede until the early twentieth century, when it was built as a main residence of the painter and his family at Madrid. Once inside, something happens. It’s lighter indoors than outside … it’s the bright and…

Born in France in 1593 George de la Tour early artistic career is somewhat of a mystery but it is documented that at the age of 27 he petitioned to the Duke of Lorraine to move to wife’s nearby hometown of Luneville and work there as a professional artist.He was granted permission and set up as a master painter with a studio and apprentice. La Tour became a successful provincial artist, painting mainly religious scenes.He became recognised for his nocturne paintings, where night scene narratives were dramatically lit as if by the light of a candle. The Duke of Lorraine…