If you are planning a trip to Spain, you probably want to get acquainted with the history and culture of this country. In many cities here you can find a variety of museums, galleries and exhibition halls, each of which certainly deserves attention. The most famous Spanish museums are the Thyssen-Bornemisza Gallery, the Prado and of course the Picasso Museum.
However, if you can't afford the expensive ticket, the Valencia Museum is exactly what you need. This is a unique cultural institution, where the "cream" of world art is collected.
The Fine Arts Museum of Valencia is one of the few places where you can see the original works of the greatest masters for free. This is a kind of island of culture that attracts the public and seeks to show it a piece of the great variety of famous works by famous painters. Collected here are the works of such titans as El Greco, Diego Velasquez, Pieter Brueghel, Bartolome Murillo and many others.
History of the Fine Arts Museum of Valencia
The old building of the former seminary became the home for the works of such famous masters. It was built back inXVII century and more than once changed its purpose. The educational institution was a house of mercy, a military warehouse, a cadet academy and even a hospital.
At the end of the 18th century, the prerequisites for creating a collection of paintings appeared here. By decree of Charles III, the best works of teachers and students of the seminary were collected. Of course, then they could not even imagine that two centuries later one of the most significant expositions in all of Spain would be collected here. The museum has been officially open since 1839, it was in this year that the Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia was open to the public.
The seminary building got its present purpose after the Second World War. Since 1946, the Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia has been officially operating here. Miraculously, the building survived after numerous bombings, which cannot be said about the church adjacent to it. However, she was soon restored.
Museum during the war years
At the height of the fighting, Valencia became the headquarters for the ruling elite of the country. At the same time, part of the exposition of the Prado Museum was also transported to this city of Spain, not yet touched by the war. The Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia has preserved priceless examples of world painting.
After that, the El Prado collection was transported to other cities for several more years until it returned to its rightful place.
The building itself deserves special attention. It is made in the style of baroque, passing to classicism. Two rectangular towers on the sides of the hull create the illusion of a castle in the air. The facade of the building is decoratedstucco, rather restrained, but elegant. Antique windows and decorations on the flat roof fully retain the authentic feel of the era.
Paintings
In total, there are more than 2,000 exhibits of various genres and eras. There is a wide variety of examples of the Gothic style, as well as engravings. However, the latter are not always available for viewing. This is due to the high sensitivity of old engravings to climatic conditions. Therefore, the museum staff creates the most favorable conditions for their preservation, showing the public only at periodic exhibitions.
The earliest examples of the exposition of the Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia date back to the XIV century. These are paintings by Hacomart, who became one of the founders of Valencian painting.
Most famous exhibits
The Fine Arts Museum of Valencia is famous for some world-famous paintings. The first of these is the famous work of Diego Velazquez - "Self-Portrait". His style was characterized by extreme realism and psychologism, which in the picture is expressed in the look. That is why Velasquez was nicknamed "The Mirror of Life". He was the only artist who had the right to depict the royal family in paintings. And it became a true property of Spain, which will be alive in all ages.
The next is El Greco's John the Baptist. This artist, on the contrary, was not close to the king. The religious city of Toledo became his abode. Maybe,this partly determined the direction of his paintings. Most of them are devoted specifically to biblical stories and characters.
The uniqueness of the work "Blind Man's Bluff" by Francisco Goya lies in the fact that it was written on cardboard. At that time, the master began work at the tapestry factory and created sketches. One of them became a world-famous painting, which is now kept in the Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia.
Other displays
In addition to the legendary works of the masters of Spanish painting, you can also see contemporary artists in the museum. A separate room here is dedicated to the exposition of sculptures and archaeological finds. Therefore, it can be argued that the museum has not only aesthetic, but also historical significance for Spain.
Special attention deserves the exposition of altars created in the XIV-XV centuries by Alcanz and Pere Nicolau.
All visitors leave amazingly positive feedback about the Museum of Fine Arts in Valencia. This is due both to the richness of the exposition and its accessibility for any person.
