Francisco Goya: Los Caprichos

February 16 - May 14, 2006
East Gallery

One of the most celebrated works in the history of Western art, Francisco de Goya's Los Caprichos (1799) comprises 80 captioned, black-and-white prints satirizing the foibles of late 18th century Spanish society. Goya (1746-1828), a renowned painter, draughtsman, and printmaker, set out to examine the human condition and denounce the social abuses and superstitions that were prevalent in an era marked by social and political repression. Court artist to the Spanish royal family, Goya achieved recognition as an unparalleled painter of portraits and religious subjects; however, later in his career, he began to offer a darker and decidedly more cynical view of his contemporaries, including those who had supported his work. Goya, influenced by enlightenment thinking, envisioned the caustic commentary in Los Caprichos as providing a moral antidote to the abuses of the Spanish Inquisition, the Catholic Church, and the nobility, as well as to human vice, folly, and witchcraft. Filled with a remarkable cast of exquisitely-drawn characters ranging from aristocrats to goblins, Los Caprichos conjures up a haunting vision of a world without reason.

Support for this exhibition was provided by Key Bank, the Kalkin Family Exhibition Endowment Fund, and the Museum's Walter Cerf Exhibition Fund. The exhibition Francisco Goya: Los Caprichos was organized by Landau Traveling Exhibitions, Los Angeles, CA.