Goya’s Portrait of Luis de Borbón Joins the Aljafería Exhibition

The painting Portrait of Luis de Bourbon by Francisco de Goya has been temporarily added this Monday to the exhibition Goya, from the Museum to the Palace at the Palace of Aljafería. The presentation was given by the General Director of Culture of the Government of Aragón, Pedro Olloqui, and the President of the Cortes of Aragón, Marta Fernández.

The oil on canvas created by Francisco de Goya in 1783 has been installed in the space dedicated to the traveling works of the exhibition, located in the Throne Room of the Catholic Monarchs at Aljafería. The work replaces the painting The Virgin with the Child, which had been loaned by a private collector and exhibited since July. Previously, that space had housed the Portrait of José Cistué, from the Museum of Huesca.

Success of the Exhibition and Goya’s Aragonese Heritage

Pedro Olloqui highlighted that the exhibition is receiving unprecedented success from both critics and the public, with over 245,000 visitors since December 5th. The General Director emphasized the importance of recovering Goya’s Aragonese identity, arguing that «Goya is who he is because he is from Aragon; otherwise, he would have been something entirely different.» This perspective is a fundamental axis of the bicentennial of the painter’s death, which will be commemorated in 2028.

Marta Fernández underscored the significant contribution that the new work represents, thanks to the generosity of a new private collector who enriches the exhibition. The President of the Cortes highlighted the milestone for Aragón and for Spain that the cultural programming of the Palace of Aljafería, a UNESCO World Heritage site, represents. Fernández committed to continue working in this direction from the Cortes of Aragón.

The Portrait of Luis de Bourbon is an oil on canvas measuring 49 x 40 cm, privately owned. The work, painted in 1783, is part of the portraits that Goya created of the family of Don Luis de Bourbon, son of Philip V and Elisabeth Farnese and brother of Charles III. The painter from Fuendetodos spent two consecutive summers creating this and other portraits of the infant and his family. In the canvas, Goya captures the fatigued appearance of Don Luis, who wears a coat with a lace collar and displays the blue sash of the Order of Charles III and the red sash of the Golden Fleece.

Information about the Exhibition

‘Goya, from the Museum to the Palace’ remains open while renovation works are underway at the Museum of Zaragoza. The Palace of Aljafería is open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Monday to Sunday, with various visiting options. The collection consists of sixty-two works owned by the Government of Aragón, the Ministry of Culture, and deposits from private collections and institutions such as the Museo Nacional del Prado, the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation, the School of Arts, the Caja Inmaculada Foundation, and the City Council of Jaraba.