The canvas name reads like a quiet premonition of what was lost, a motif that later gained meaning when it was finally found. Rosario de Velasco (1904–1991) stands as a pivotal figure in art history, long overlooked and fading from the collective memory. A forthcoming exhibition in Madrid at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum will shed light on her enduring presence. The show centers on a still life that carries a story connecting Rosario to Alicante and to a work known as Things. The painting appears unassuming at first glance, a cluttered arrangement of everyday objects, yet a crystal ball in its center reveals a powerful self-portrait of the artist when viewed closely. The work’s surprising rediscovery came from a person who chose to stay anonymous and passed the piece to the Velasco family.
The exhibition will present early works by Rosario from roughly 1930 to 1935, a period when she earned numerous accolades and gained recognition in the art world, according to a close relative who spoke with the publication INFORMACIÓN.
Rosario’s story sits alongside the legacy of other artists whose names often appear in the margins of major collections. Works by contemporaries such as Maruja Mallo and Angeles Santos have become better known through celebrated spaces like the Reina Sofía Museum, the Pompidou in Paris, the Valencian Museum of Fine Arts, or the Madrid Costume Museum. Yet Rosario’s name rarely lingers in the mainstream memory, a situation her family is determined to change through renewed attention and public conversations across social networks to gather photographs of her early mentor, the painter Fernando Álvarez de Sotomayor, and other connections in the circle.
Rosario de Velasco is depicted as a member of the Iberian Artists Association and aligned with the new German objective approach to painting. She was among the most admired painters of her era and continued producing works throughout her life, leaving behind hundreds that her descendants have carefully cataloged. Beginning in the 1930s, the young Rosario displayed her canvases in multiple exhibitions across Spain and in culturally prestigious cities like Paris and Berlin, a trajectory that many consider foundational to Spanish modern painting.
Things, a hidden treasure in Alicante
The search for Rosario’s art yielded several surprises, including the discovery of a still life titled Things dating from 1935 that lay hidden near Benidorm. The painting promises to be a crucial piece in the Thyssen exhibition’s broader narrative.
The painting’s existence emerged through a cache of clippings kept in family archives and through a newspaper clipping from 1935 found in the national library’s collection. A relative who revisited this material recalls recognizing the work not for its floral abundance but for the still life composition containing a crystal ball that seems to reflect the painting’s own essence. That image now anchors discussions about Rosario’s range and the significance of this specific work.
As interest in Rosario’s oeuvre grew, several individuals from Alicante reached out with stories of her work and invited the Velasco family to review paintings in personal studios. One encounter stood out: the family visited a studio where an artist shared a small, black-and-white collection that included a colorized version of Things. The moment of seeing the original for the first time was described as a startling revelation, a bridge between past publications and the living presence of the artist’s hand.
Still life photographs of Things, captured by Rosario’s great-nephew in Alicante, document this important discovery and the careful preservation of the piece. The family’s documentation underscores a broader aim: to safeguard Rosario’s legacy as a whole and to open doors for further research, articles on art history, and future exhibitions that honor the artist’s contributions beyond the forthcoming show.
Remembering the artist remains central to the family’s mission. They estimate there are about 300 registered works, including later pieces on paper and portraits. Not every work will be shown at the Thyssen exhibition, but the goal is to pursue additional showcases and scholarly projects that illuminate Rosario de Velasco and the broader story of 1930s Spanish art. The family emphasizes that preserving her memory requires ongoing research, dialogue, and public attention that keeps Rosario present in the canon of European modernism.