Goya: Los Caprichos
November 1 – December 12, 2008
Guest Curator | Robert Flynn Johnson, Curator in Charge, Achenbach
About the Exhibition
Goya: Los Caprichos features a set of eighty etchings by Spanish artist Francisco de Goya y Lucientes published in 1799 and recognized as one of the most influential series of graphic images in the history of Western art. This early first edition of the complete set of etchings is one of four acquired directly from Goya by the Duke and Duchess of Osuna and is now part of the holdings of the Museo de Zaragoza, Spain.
Los Caprichos deals with such themes as the Spanish Inquisition, the corruption of the church and the nobility, witchcraft, child rearing, avarice, and the frivolity of young women. Its cast includes goblins, monks, aristocrats, procuresses, prostitutes, and animals acting like human fools; these personages populate a world on the margins of reason, where no clear boundaries distinguish reality from fantasy.
Accompanying the exhibition are images by two distinguished artists directly inspired by Los Caprichos: Edward Hagedorn and Enrique Chagoya. Their images resonate with Goya's vision: that art can be used as a weapon of truth to attack injustice through irony, ridicule and satire.
The exhibition was organized by Landau Traveling Exhibitions, Los Angeles, California, in association with Denenberg Fine Art, West Hollywood, California.
