Sorolla and Valencian Painting at Mubag
Commemorating the centenary of a great artist, the Gravina Museum of Fine Arts presents a focused exhibit honoring Joaquín Sorolla. This collection marks the Valencian painter’s return to the Alicante scene with some of his most emblematic works, opening on January 9. The display is designed to illuminate Sorolla’s impact on Valencian art and how his practice interacted with the regional milieu, drawing strong international attention and inviting visitors to explore the painter’s evolving language in a new venue.
A rotating selection underscores Alicante as a pivotal cultural hub, aligning with the 2023 cultural calendar as the opening act of Sorolla’s Year. The Valencian Community, his home region, confirms the significance of hosting this landmark show, with the cultural leadership highlighting the collaboration that makes the project possible.
The exhibition, titled Sorolla and Valencian Painting of His Time, brings together more than a hundred works, predominantly drawn from the Valencia Museum of Fine Arts, augmented by sixty additional loans. The Valencia center has mapped three artist-focused exhibitions for 2023, with the first one scheduled to debut in March as previously announced. The funding story is equally notable, with support from the San Carlos Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Bancaja Foundation, Pinazo House Museum, the Pedrera Martinez Collection, Ibanez House Museum, and private collectors from across Spain.
Self-portrait by Joaquín Sorolla is featured in the display, reflecting the depth and breadth of the artist’s practice. The curatorial concept, led by Francisco Javier Perez Rojas, gathers celebrated and diverse works that engage in a dialogue with Sorolla’s teachers and followers across four generations. The sequence unfolds through sections that reveal the richness of Valencian painting from 1871 to 1923, positioning Sorolla as a central figure while honoring the broader school of Valencia.
Key works that will remain on view at Mubag from January 9 to June 25, 2023, spotlight Sorolla’s output as part of a broader Valencian conversation. The exhibition also situates Sorolla within a shared visual thread with Agrasot, inviting viewers to compare motifs and themes that resonate across the Valencian artistic tradition. The curatorial narrative emphasizes a dialogue between Sorolla and the Valencia School, with the artist ring-fenced as a major contemporary influence.
Mubag Participates in a European Museum Digitization Initiative
The curator’s plan has earned a notable European dimension. The initiative aims to extend the reach of Sorolla’s work beyond Spain’s borders, inviting national and international audiences to engage with an unprecedented selection of images. Strong partnerships with major cultural centers and private collectors enable digitized exhibitions that preserve the integrity of the works while enhancing accessibility under expert guidance.
Through these efforts, Mubag contributes significantly to the broader mission of preserving and presenting monumental artworks, offering audiences an opportunity to experience Sorolla’s vision in a fresh, contemporary context. The project stands as a testament to the collaborative spirit of cultural institutions across Europe and their shared commitment to safeguarding artistic heritage for future generations.
The Orbit of Francisco Javier Pérez Rojas
Francisco Javier Pérez Rojas, the commissioner of Sorolla and Valencian painting of his time, is recognized for founding the Pinazo Chair of Art History and Modernist Studies at the University of Valencia. A collector and connoisseur of nineteenth- and twentieth-century art and architecture, Pérez Rojas has contributed to countless books, catalogs, and conference proceedings that document scholarly discourse in this field. He is noted for authoring the first monograph on Art Deco in Spain and for publishing critical work on Joaquín Sorolla, Ignacio Pinazo, Jose Maria Lopez Mosque, Julio Romero de Torres, Pablo Picasso, Antonio Palacios, and many other significant figures in modern art.
Renovated Spaces at Mubag
The museum’s recent renovations have refreshed the building’s second floor with bright, flexible spaces while preserving original architectural elements. An investment of approximately 95,000 euros has enabled a more open and versatile environment, expanding the display capacity for visual works and ensuring the galleries retain their distinctive character. Reconfigured transitions and display zones now feature backlit drawers with adjustable LED lighting to enhance artifact viewing, while wood flooring has been restored and walls and ceilings repainted to create a welcoming, modern museum atmosphere. These improvements are designed to accommodate a diverse range of exhibitions and ensure visitors enjoy a high-quality viewing experience throughout Mubag’s evolving program.