For the first time in the history of the House of Alba, a contemporary artist has been invited to take over the entire Liria Palace in Madrid including the state apartments and gardens for a major exhibition. Opening in February next year, the internationally acclaimed Portuguese artist, Joana Vasconcelos will present at the Liria Palace what promises to be one of the outstanding cultural events of 2025 and follows the artist’s major exhibition at Versailles in 2012.
The artist’s work will be seen alongside one of the most important private art collections in the world, which includes works by Velázquez, Goya, Rubens, Titian and Murillo. Some of the artist’s most iconic works alongside recent creations will be displayed in the interiors and gardens including spaces not previously open to the public.
About
Born in 1971, Joana Vasconcelos is a Portuguese visual artist with a career spanning over 30 years, during which she has achieved international recognition thanks to her sculptures and large-scale installations in such prestigious institutions as the Palace of Versailles, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, the Venice Biennale, the Uffizi Galleries and the Pitti Palace, among others. Her work is characterised by the decontextualisation of everyday objects and the adaptation of the concept of artisanship to the 21st century to generate a dialogue between the private sphere and the public space, popular heritage and high culture. In this way she questions the status of women, consumer society and collective identity with humour and irony.
Built in the 18th century, the Liria Palace is the official Madrid residence of the House of Alba, one of Europe’s leading noble houses. The treasures of the Alba family represent one of the oldest and most significant private art collections in Europe, which includes works by Goya, Velázquez, Murillo, Zurbarán, El Greco and Titian.
