The Prado in Madrid has one of the great collections in Europe, but don't miss the remarkable MNAC — it's filled with Catalonian art, most remarkably the 1000-year-old Romanesque frescoes removed from churches in remote regions for protection.
Alejo Fernández, The Virgin of the Navigators
If we read Alejo Fernández's The Virgin of the Navigators closely, we can learn an enormous amount about Spain’s role in exploration, trade and commerce, conquest and colonization, and slavery.
Alonso Berruguete, Abraham and Isaac
Alonso Berruguete is the most famous sculptor that you have never heard of.
Gil de Siloé, The Tomb of Juan II of Castile and Isabel of Portugal
If you suddenly found yourself the heir to a royal throne, what steps would you take to advertise that you are indeed the rightful inheritor?
Bartolomé Bermejo, Piedad with Canon Lluís Desplà
Two years before the Spanish expel the Jews and begin their invasion of the Americas, an artist paints an image of redemption.
Spotlight — Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights
An imagined garden teeming with curious creatures and bizarre structures. What are we to think?
Juan Martínez Montañés and Francisco Pacheco, Christ of Clemency
The sculptor Martínez Montañés was the “God of Wood,” but it’s the painter Pacheco who brought this work to life.
El Escorial, Spain
The severe exterior of this palace complex belies its highly decorative interior, once filled with art.
“Throne of Wisdom” sculptures
These statues of the Virgin and Child often held relics. Designed to be mobile, they starred in parades and plays.
Hans Haacke, Seurat’s “Les Poseuses” (small version), 1884-1975
Haacke documents the provenance of a Seurat sketch held in a bank vault to lay bare the commodification of art.
Virgin from Ger
Delicate and brightly colored, this statue from Spain combines elegance with solidity, the human with the divine.
El Greco, Adoration of the Shepherds
Wild! Everything seems transient in this otherworldly scene, but El Greco’s bold colors stay with us.
Browse Smarthistory images for teaching & learning!
