In a year that marks a centennial reflection on the death of Valencian master Joaquín Sorolla, the Prado Museum presents an exhibition that centers Sorolla’s face as a portraitist. The show, scheduled for 2023, also offers visitors the chance to observe the recent acquisition of a Sorolla portrait for 80,000 euros. This acquisition was facilitated by Manuel Bartolomé Cossío, who serves as the first Trustee of the Prado Museum and authored the institution’s initial major monograph.
As of June 18, the room features a display titled 60 Portraits of Sorolla, a name that graces one wall and frames a portrait recently purchased from the artist’s heirs. This acquisition was overseen by Cossío, reinforcing the Prado’s historical commitment to preserving and presenting iconic works within its permanent collection. The portrait joins the Prado’s extensive Sorolla holdings, which include 23 portraits and a notable portrait of the painter Martín Rico, among other acquisitions made in the current year.
Prado’s leadership, led by director Miguel Falomir, explains that the exhibition fulfills two aspirations: to honor Sorolla by presenting a focused show and to illuminate the gallery’s practice of occasional accession of significant works that have not traditionally been on view. The ensemble emphasizes the works’ strong plastic qualities and their capacity to illuminate Spain’s art of the last century from a fresh perspective.
Javier Barón, curator of the exhibition and a familiar voice for Prado XIX, describes the project as a space not only to pay homage to Sorolla’s El Greco-inspired portraiture, but also to trace the enduring legacies of Velázquez and Goya through careful restoration and display. The project highlights how Sorolla’s canvases can reveal a dialogue between portraiture and broader historical currents, inviting visitors to reflect on the painter’s evolving approach to light, color, and mood.
Among the works in this presentation, Beruete and Maria Teresa Moretor—figures connected with Sorolla’s circle—reappear in portraits that reveal a sensuality and lavish color palette that contrasts with more austere male portraits. The display also underscores the Prado’s broader aim to bring long-hidden works into light, ensuring audiences see the full spectrum of the museum’s holdings.
Barón notes that the exhibition includes restoration-worthy pieces that had remained in storage or rarely encountered the public gaze. One example is the portrait of a physician by Francisco Rodríguez de Sandoval, whose canvas returns to public view as part of the museum’s commitment to sound conservation and enhanced visibility for historically important portraits.
Nearby, visitors can also observe the portrait of Cossío’s contemporary, Gumersindo de los Ríos, a work that had been kept in temporary storage but was acquired for the permanent collection. Its return enriches the narrative of the Prado’s collection and offers a tangible link to Spain’s artists and patrons who shaped the country’s cultural landscape after challenging historical moments.
The exhibition thus presents a layered dialogue with the Prado’s preeminent portrait projects, situating Sorolla within a lineage that includes El Greco and other Spanish masters from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The wall display underscores the studio’s conversations with questions about portraiture, authority, and the role of public institutions in safeguarding national artistic heritage.
Within Room 60 of the Villanueva building, the Prado Museum stages a thoughtful homage to the 19th-century collections that framed Sorolla’s emergence as a leading light in Spanish painting. The centennial commemoration not only celebrates a painter who left an international mark in the early 20th century but also reinforces Sorolla’s place as a master portraitist whose work continues to resonate with contemporary audiences.