The Sorolla Centenary attracts 1.5 million visitors to the almost 40 exhibitions programmed for the event

The Sorolla Centenary takes positive stock. A total of 1.5 million people have visited the 38 exhibitions as part of the programme '100 years since the death of Joaquín Sorolla'. The national and international plan of activities, approved by the National Commission for the commemoration, has been coordinated by the Sorolla Museum - a state museum under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture - and the Sorolla Museum Foundation.

In fact, in recognition of the close collaboration of the Sorolla Museum Foundation in the exhibition, educational and research programmes of the Sorolla Museum, as well as its essential role in the celebration of Sorolla Year, the last Council of Ministers approved the awarding of the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts 2023 to the Sorolla Museum Foundation. This is the highest recognition awarded in Spain to individuals and entities that have excelled in the field of artistic and cultural creation or have rendered outstanding services in the promotion, development or dissemination of art and culture or in the conservation of artistic heritage.

Record number of visitors

During Sorolla Year, in 2023 the Sorolla Museum surpassed the historical figure of visitors, with 345,000 people counted up to 31 December. This is a 40% increase in visitors compared to the previous year. Between January and December, the exhibition programme offered exhibitions that explored lesser-known aspects of the artist, such as his artistic beginnings with 'Sorolla. Origenes', until his last years with '¡Sorolla ha muerto! ¡Viva Sorolla!'; a novel literary curatorship through 'En el mar de Sorolla con Manuel Vicent' or the recent study on his passionate journey as a 'plenairista' painter with 'Sorolla viajar para pintar. Otra visión de España', extended until April 2024.

A celebration for the territory

This last exhibition centralises the project that is the territorial backbone of the centenary. Sorolla, viajar para pintar' is an initiative promoted by the Sorolla Museum and the Sorolla Museum Foundation that takes Sorolla's work to the places where it was painted in life through cabinet exhibitions. 'Viajar para pintar. Sorolla in San Sebastián', held at the San Telmo Museum; 'Viajar para pintar, Sorolla in Toledo', presented at the Museo del Greco; and 'Viajar para pintar, Sorolla in A Coruña', inaugurated at the Museo de Belas Artes da Coruña, have been part of this project.

Madrid hosted part of the programme with exhibitions such as the one held at the Royal Palace; 'Sorolla a través de la luz', visited by 180,000 people. Other institutions also carried out projects to make their own Sorolla collections more visible, such as the Lower House of Parliament, with its exhibition in homage to Sorolla, and the Museo Nacional del Prado, with the exhibition 'Retratos de Joaquín Sorolla (1863-1923)'. Fundación MAPFRE also joined the centenary with the exhibition 'Los veranos de Sorolla'.

In turn, Valencia, the painter's city of birth, hosted a large number of exhibitions as part of the centenary, such as those held at the Museo de Bellas Artes de Valencia: Sorolla. Orígenes y Colección Masaveu. Sorolla', which received more than 121,000 visitors. Fundación Bancaja in Valencia hosted the exhibitions 'Sorolla en negro', with more than 60,000 visitors, and 'Sorolla a través de la luz', which is ongoing. Throughout the commemoration, different institutions have explored the link between a young Sorolla and his city, such as the Diputación de Valencia, with the exhibition 'Sorolla en Roma. El artista y la pensión de la Diputación de Valencia (1884-1889)' in the Palacio de Batlia; or the Museo de la Ciudad de Valencia with the 'Ciudad de los artistas. Joaquín Sorolla y el Palacio de las Artes e Industrias de Valencia'. Finally, Cana Museo Benlliure inaugurated the exhibition 'La Valencia de Joaquín Sorolla', which can be visited until 3 February.

At the national level, Alicante, Oviedo, Avilés and Bilbao joined in the celebration of this event. The exhibitions are proof of this: 'Sorolla y la pintura valenciana de su tiempo. Diálogos y contrastes' in the MUBAG in Alicante; 'Pinceles llenos de sol. Fondos de Sorolla' in the Museo de Bellas Artes de Asturias; and 'Sorolla: retratos en la colección Pérez Simón', in the Casa de Cultura in Avilés. Bilbao's Museo de Bellas Artes inaugurated a group of invited works by the master; and the Círculo Caja de Burgos hosted the travelling exhibition 'Sorolla. Dibujante sin descanso'.

Internationally, various institutions have paid tribute to the painter. The Hispanic Society of America in New York reopened the Sorolla Room and inaugurated the exhibition 'A Masterpiece in the Making: Joaquín Sorolla's Gouaches for the Vision of Spain', at The National Arts Club in New York. The Meadows Museum in Dallas has also hosted the major exhibition 'Spanish light: Sorolla in American Collections'. The Museo de Bellas Artes in Havana held the exhibition 'Joaquín Sorolla Bastida (1863-1923): Las obras del Museo de La Habana' on the centenary of his death. In Europe, the Royal Academy of Spain in Rome hosted the exhibition of small-format works 'Sorolla, sprazzi di luce e colore' last March; and in November the Glyptoteket in Copenhagen inaugurated 'Joaquín Sorolla. Light in Motion', due to the State visit of the King and Queen of Spain.

Commemorative events

On 10 August, the 100th anniversary of Sorolla's death was commemorated with tributes, floral offerings and micro-concerts, held at the Sorolla Museum in Madrid and at the General Cemetery in Valencia, in front of the painter's tomb. Institutions such as RENFE joined in this event with the exhibition of photographic reproductions 'Sorolla. Un centenario en cien imágenes' on an AVE high-speed train on the Madrid-Valencia line, Turespaña with a digital communication plan, Loterías y Apuestas del Estado and ONCE with the issue of two lottery tickets and coupons. Correos and the Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre presented the stamps respectively at the Sorolla Museum: 'Ephemeris. 100 años del fallecimiento de Joaquín Sorolla' and a series of coins commemorating the Centenary.

All of them are in addition to a total of 9 cycles of conferences and 19 informative activities aimed at making Sorolla's work visible in different social environments such as the Hospital 12 de octubre. In addition, Madrid City Council named the painter an adopted son of the city for 2023 and the Chamberí District Council has held various activities in honour of one of its most illustrious neighbours.

New acquisitions

As part of the centenary, in 2023, the Ministry of Culture acquired three works from the painter's early period for 438,000 euros. The works were 'Trovador callejero. Visita del músico' (1894), oil on canvas; 'Cabeza de San Antonio' (1883), oil on canvas; and 'Toma de Hábito' (1888), wash and gouache on paper. Thus, the Ministry's efforts to expand the collection, already undertaken in 2022, when six works were purchased with a total investment of 492,138 euros, are consolidated: 'Tocando la guitarra', 'Niña', 'Niña cantora', 'En la posada', 'El oferente' and 'La esclava y la paloma. Desnudo'. The Sorolla Museum Foundation acquired a self-portrait in charcoal by the painter, signed, dedicated and dated 1894, which is part of an autograph letter from the painter addressed to his friend Pedro Gil Moreno de Mora.

The centenary will extend into 2024

The celebration of the centenary will be extended throughout 2024 as it has been declared an Event of Exceptional Public Interest until 31 December. Among other activities, twenty publications will be published by specialists with titles such as 'Sorolla y la crítica de su tiempo', 'La Valencia de Sorolla', 'El Madrid de Sorolla' and the complete and critical edition of the Joaquín Sorolla and Clotilde García del Castillo epistolary collections, among others.

At the same time, work is being carried out on holding various exhibitions, including those included in the project 'Sorolla. Viajar para pintar' in new venues: Valladolid, Mallorca and Seville. The exhibition 'La pintura valenciana en la época de Sorolla' will also be inaugurated at the Museu de Belles Arts de Castelló. New exhibition projects on Sorolla will be developed in the final quarter of 2024.

Finally, the Sorolla Museum will host the original exhibition 'Sorolla en cien objetos' at its main site, the painter's house-museum in Madrid, in May 2024. This will be the last exhibition to be held before work begins on refurbishing the museum, which forms part of the Ministry of Culture's extension-rehabilitation project designed by Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos, and which is due to open its doors in 2025 as the finishing touch to the Sorolla Centenary.

Non official translation