Spanish Paintings from 14th to 16th Centuries

Abstract

This exhibition was borne out of a conversation that took place between Sam Fogg and Caylus in March 2019. Over the last decade or so, both galleries have been collecting Spanish paintings from the period spanning the later Middle Ages and the Renaissance, feeling independently of one another that this is an underrated, undervalued, and understudied area of art history. We continue to be enthralled by the quality of these important paintings - still sometimes overlooked by institutions and collectors - and by the vivid, searing vision that medieval painters working throughout the kingdoms of Spain brought to their medium. The idea of mounting a collaborative exhibition together, dedicated entirely to this subject, didn’t take long to emerge, and it was decided early on that Dr. Alberto Velasco, professor at the University of Lleida, should lead the research. His wide-reaching interests in the history of Spanish painting, and the changing tastes and fashions around their collection, display, and trade in the modern period, has added tangible depth to their stories and enriches the pages of this catalogue. He has unearthed a wealth of archival material, and in several instances has been able to piece together long-dispersed sister panels and other fragments of what were once grand retablos, a form of monumental, painted altarpiece unique to Spain. It is hoped that the accompanying exhibition, which will be on view at Sam Fogg’s London gallery for the occasion of London Art Week in December 2019, before travelling to Caylus gallery in Madrid in Spring 2020, helps fuel the interest in these remarkable paintings, and brings their remarkable stories to a wider audience.