‘Art and myth. Gods of the Prado’ exhibition comes to Barcelona’s CaixaForum

The new exposition ‘Art i mite. Els deus del Prado’ (‘Art and myth. Gods of the Prado’) opened at CaixaForum in Barcelona on Thursday.

The exhibition, which runs until March 14, 2021, will display 64 pieces of art related to Greco-Roman gods and mythology from the Prado Museum in Madrid.

“The gods of the Prado” refers both to mythological gods and those artists that are on display. Iconic figures such as Rubens, Ribera and Zurbarán, amongst many others will be on show.

These works are arranged in eight themed sections, running through the different ways these stories and gods have been portrayed throughout time. The exhibition begins with art work from the first century ranging all the way to 18^th century canvases.

This is not the first time Prado Museum collections have made their way to Barcelona. The Caixa Foundation and the Prado Museum have collaborated on three other exhibitions since 2011.

‘Art and myth’ has already travelled through the Peninsula. It was first displayed in Palma in 2017. After its stay at the Caixaforum it will move on to more Caixa Foundation sites throughout Catalonia until 2022.

Mythology in the modern world

Fernando Pérez Suescun, the head of educational content for the Prado Museum and director of this exhibition explained to ACN that he wanted to make this an “educational” journey through these tales.

He also told ACN that the exhibition helps us create links between these myths and our current values. It puts in question the contemporary relevance of Greco-Roman mythology in today’s world.

However Pérez Suescun states that, especially during the time of Covid-19, myths help us to reflect on “Who are our heroes, instagrammers or the doctors that have worked during this pandemic? And why are we still so interested in the myth of Narcissus? There are many myths that we can apply to nowadays and it is interesting to reflect on them.”

The exhibition is open throughout the week until March 14, 2021.