Sorolla Museum
Taking the works of Sorolla to the public
In the area of exhibitions, it is worth highlighting Iberdrola's collaboration, through its foundation in Spain, with the Sorolla Museum, which is located in the villa that was the Valencian painter's home and studio during the early 20th century.
The Sorolla Museum
External link, opens in new window. contains the majority of the works of Joaquín Sorolla, as well as some of his furniture and other possessions. Both the building and its contents were donated to the Spanish state by the artist's widow, Clotilde García del Castillo, in 1925.
Iberdrola, through its foundation in Spain, has collaborated on several exhibitions in the past few years.
'Sorolla. A Tireless Draughtsman'
From 26 November 2019 to 30 August 2020 Museo Sorolla hosted the exhibition Sorolla. A Tireless Draughtsman External link, opens in new window., sponsored by Iberdrola. The exhibition included more than a hundred drawings by the Valencian painter which illustrate how his sketching evolved and, while it was not exhaustive, it showed the aspects that most concerned him in the practice of his art.
This exhibition seeked to highlight this little-known facet of the painter, since Sorolla sent sketches to very few of his exhibitions and did not usually hang them in his studio to show his clients. Furthermore, the fragility of the drawing materials and the extreme sensitivity of paper to light make exhibiting the works a tremendously delicate operation and therefore exceptional.
Exhibition Dossier (Spanish version) [PDF] External link, opens in new window.
'Chasing impressions. Sorolla in small format'
In 2019 the museum ran an exhibition called Chasing impressions. Sorolla in small format [PDF] External link, opens in new window., featuring more than 200 tiny oils on cardboard and panels which Sorolla referred to as "observations", "patches of paint" or "colour notes".
These small works, of which he painted nearly two thousand, allowed him to quickly record ideas or impression of things seen in independent works that went beyond mere sketches and in which we can appreciate his creative freedom.
The sample, sponsored by Iberdrola, brought together 227 paintings from the museum and 44 private collectors from Spain and abroad, some of which had never before been publicly exhibited.
Exhibition Dossier (Spanish version) [PDF] External link, opens in new window.
'Sorolla and fashion'
From 13 February to 27 May 2018, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and Sorolla Museum (Madrid) External link, opens in new window.. hosted the exhibition Sorolla and fashion External link, opens in new window.. Organised by both museums and in collaboration with Iberdrola, the exhibition was developed simultaneously and complementary in the two venues and it was dedicated to the presence of fashion in Joaquín Sorilla's work.
'Sorolla and fashion' exhibition. Video voice transcription (Spanish version) [PDF] External link, opens in new window.
The exhibition was made up of 70 paintings from different museums and private national and international collections — some of which had never been exhibited to the public — in addition to dresses and accessories from the period.
Exhibition Dossier (Spanish version) [PDF] External link, opens in new window.
'Sorolla in Paris'
Iberdrola also sponsored the temporary exhibition Sorolla in Paris, exhibited in the Sorolla Museum of Madrid from the 23rd of November to the 19th of March 2017. During the time it was opened it achieved to beat the record of visitors of the Gallery with a total of 116,510 attendees.
'Elena among roses' (1907). Havana National Museum of Fine Arts. Video voice transcription (Spanish version) [PDF] External link, opens in new window.
After being exhibited in the Kunsthalle Museum of Munich and the Musée des Impressionnismes of Giverny, the exhibition landed in Madrid, organised by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports and the Fundación Museo Sorolla.
Sorolla in Paris brought 66 paintings selected by the painter to be exhibited in the main international exhibitions. A portray of the international recognition of the artist of Valencia since his first trip to Paris in 1885, until his success in the most important collective exhibitions and his recognition as a painter of the aristocracy of his time.
Exhibition dossier (Spanish version) [PDF] External link, opens in new window.
'Sorolla: The art of light'
In 2015, coinciding with the International Year of Light, Iberdrola sponsored Sorolla: the art of light External link, opens in new window., an exhibition of 54 works divided into five sections — towards the light, shade and reflection, filtered light, splendour and art of light — analysing different forms of lighting cultivated by the master of light.