»I Saw It«: Goya's famous prints

The Spaniard Francisco de Goya (1746-1828) is representative of a change in art: he was a famous court painter whose portraits were sought after throughout Europe. This Renaissance profession died out around 1800, making Goya the last of the Old Masters. At the same time, he is considered the »first modern artist«, who influenced many future generations of artists. The reason for this lies in Goya's series of socially critical prints. Goya ironically and mercilessly denounced superstition, prostitution and the abuse of power by aristocrats and the church or showed the unimaginable cruelties of war in a way never seen before. Some prints were removed from the market shortly after publication, others were only published decades after Goya's death: the criticism went far beyond what was considered socially acceptable. The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena is now showing all four major series in their entirety in the exhibition I Saw It: Francisco de Goya, Printmaker. From April 19 to August 5, visitors can take this rare opportunity to immerse themselves in Goya's world.

Goya's famous print series are entitled Los Caprichos (The Caprices), Desastres de la Guerra (The Disasters of War), La Tauromaquia (Bullfight Scenes) and Los Disparates (Follies). They were created between 1796 and 1824, but some were only published many years later. The more than 200 sheets in total are unique testimonies to their time and some, such as The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters, which shows Goya himself asleep at a table surrounded by bats, owls and a lynx, are widely used in pop culture today. In addition to Goya's prints, the Norton Simon Museum is also exhibiting artworks by subsequent artists who refer to Goya. These include Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Leon Golub, Enrique Chagoya and Yinka Shonibare.