So far, so close. Guadalupe of Mexico in Spain

From 10 June to 14 September, the Prado Museum is putting on an exhibition that shows the impact and presence of Our Lady of Guadalupe iconography in art on both sides of the Atlantic. This exhibition includes around 70 works of art, mostly from Spain and Mexico, including prints from Madrid and Seville.

The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe became extremely popular and widespread between 1650 and 1790, a religious symbol of great importance in Spain, Italy, the Philippines and Latin America. It was considered a miraculous image thanks to its beauty and technique, serving as proof of divine favour towards the inhabitants of New Spain. It was also the most reproduced and copied image by numerous artists in New Spain, associated with the idea of a "revealed icon".

This exhibition analyses the circulation of Our Lady of Guadalupe throughout Spain, the impetus achieved by her worship in the Modern Age, the links between Our Lady of Guadalupe in Extremadura and in Mexico, and the role of artists in disseminating her image. 

The exhibition is curated by Jaime Cuadriello, professor at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and researcher at the Mexican Institute of Aesthetic Research, and Paula Mues, professor at the National School of Conservation, Restoration and Museography at Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History.

Image Credits:

Detail of Our Lady of Guadalupe with four apparitions, José Juárez. Oil on canvas , 251 X 293 cm. Ágreda (Soria), Convent of the Franciscan Conceptionists