Overview
- The Museo Nacional del Prado opened a BBVA‑sponsored survey of Antonio Rafael Mengs that runs through March.
- The exhibition gathers 159 works, including about 100 by Mengs, with loans from 44 institutions and collections.
- Curated by Andrés Úbeda and Javier Jordán de Urríes, the show spans paintings, decorative arts, drawings, prints and studies.
- A centerpiece pairs Mengs’ Lamentation over the Dead Christ with Raphael’s The Spasimo di Sicilia in a dramatic face‑off highlighted by director Miguel Falomir.
- The Prado frames Mengs as a key Neoclassicist and influence on Goya and credits him with steering Carlos III to preserve royal nudes by moving them to the Academy.