Francisco Goya’s Etchings Coming to the Ringling Museum

Friday, 31 August 2007 22:35

Sarasota, FL - Francisco Goya: Los Caprichos, a ground-breaking suite of eighty quaint etchings by the Spanish artist, will be on exhibit at the Ringling Museum of Art, Sept. 29 - Jan. 6, 2007.

“Goya was one of the first artists to produce art that combined his own experiences and perspective on society with the pictorial and symbolic tools of fantasy and the imagination,” says Dr. Stephen Borys, Ulla R. Searing Curator of Collections at the Ringling. “This exhibition of his famous Los Caprichos prints, which were produced in 1799 at the height of the Enlightenment, is an exciting complement to the contemporary show, Cuba Avant-Garde, on view at the same time, as both offer powerful social and political commentaries on artmaking and society.”

Francisco Goya: Los Caprichos exhibition consists of a complete first edition of Goya’s Los Caprichos suite, along with examples of the artist’s earliest etchings, including works from his other graphic series: Los Desastres de la Guerra, Los Proverbios, and La Tauromaquia. Additionally, two other works inspired by Goya’s famous prints, a drawing by Edward Hagedorn from 1951 and eight etchings by Enrique Chagoya from 1999, are included in the exhibition.

Goya began his career working as a commissioned court painter to Charles IV in 1789. After a mysterious illness, which left him deaf, Goya’s outlook on life reveals a marked disdain for the social, cultural, religious and courtly world in which he lived. Seeking to make a statement through his art, Goya began a new way of looking at reality—one not easily separated from fantasy and the imagination.

Los Caprichos is the first series of etchings that move away from commissioned paintings typical of the era towards a more informal style with greater freedom to mix reality with imagination. This, coupled with his satirical depiction of 18^th-century Spanish society, positions Goya as a precursor to the modern art movement almost a century later.

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, with Florida State University, is the largest museum/university complex in the nation. It preserves the legacy of John and Mable Ringling, educating and enabling a large and diverse audience to experience and take delight in a world-renowned collection of fine art; Cà d’Zan, the Ringling historic mansion; the Circus Museum; the Original Asolo Theater; and historic architecture, courtyard, gardens and grounds overlooking Sarasota Bay. Visit for more information : www.ringling.org