About the Exhibition

Francisco de Goya (1746–1828) is considered a pioneer of modern painting, recognized for his piercing depictations of humanity. In his late forties, unsatisfied with his success as a court painter in Spain and after losing his hearing, he turned to printmaking to pursue his creative vision. This exhibition will present a complete collection of the prints from Goya's two major print series, The Caprices and The Disasters of War, presented separately for the first and second half of the exhibition. We also trace the museum's extensive history of exhibitiong Spanish prints through related works and documents shedding light on how Goya was received by Japanese audiences.

Special Section: 1959—Contemporary Japanese Prints Brought to Spain

In conjunction with the "Goya — The Caprices / The Disasters of War: Prints from the Museum Collection," this special section traces the development of printmaking exchange between Japan and Spain, starting with the reception of Goya in Japan. While the museum has held exhibitions of Picasso and Goya's prints since its opening in 1951 at the dawn of international print exchange in the postwar period, this exhibition focuses on "The Exhibition of Contemporary Japanese Prints" held in Spain in 1959.