The Duke, Eugenia and the unique art of Joana Vasconcelos

A gigantic woman’s living room shoe created with steel pans, a sculpture lamp based on slopes and figures of lace -covered dogs. They are creations that carry the invoice of the Lisbon artist Joana Vasconcelos. Felipe VI has inaugurated this monumental installation that has landed at the Madrid Palacio de Liria, in Madrid.

The exhibition, Flamboyantcomes to celebrate the color and the vibrant of the creative world of the Portuguese whose opening coincides with Friday 14, Valentine’s Day. Behind this project is the Casa de Alba Foundation. They have accompanied the king in this event, the artist, and as hosts The Duke of Alba, Eugenia Martínez de Irujo, Fernando Fitz-James Stuart, Duke of Guempar, and the wife of this, Sofía Palazuelo. Among the authorities, Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska and Mayor Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida. Behind the monarch, the imposing portrait of the Duchess of Alba dressed in white from Francisco de Goya is seen.

What will we see in the rooms and in the gardens of the Palace of the Alba? Two imposing lions, vigorous and powerful, made in croche with handmade cotton. Two wonderful figures in the Neoclassical Zaguán that mark the beginning of a visual and photographic tour crowned by pieces such as Carmen lamp, which looks in the library. The same room where Alba retains a manuscript letter by Prosper Merimée, author of the homonymous novel that Georges Bizet would adapt to the opera.

Recognized worldwide, Vasconcelos uses a visual language that invites us to reflect from humor, but also with a critical look. It also questions the status of women and the habits of a society that navigates in an unlimited consumption. For the first time, Vasconcelos uses a palatial scenario to present a unique exhibition.