Image of the Virgin of Guadalupe arrives at the Prado Museum

The image of the Virgin of Guadalupe was widely distributed between 1650 and 1790 and became a key religious symbol in Spain, Italy, the Philippines and Latin America

The Prado Museum in Madrid opens its doors to art made in Latin America with a temporary exhibition dedicated to the impact that the iconography of the Virgin of Guadalupe has had on art on both sides of the Atlantic.

'So far, so close. Guadalupe from Mexico in Spain' will be on display between June and September of this year and will feature some 70 works, most of them from Spain and Mexico, the Prado explained in a statement on Thursday.

The exhibition will be curated by two Mexican experts: Jaime Cuadriello, professor at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and Paula Mues, professor at the National School of Conservation, Restoration and Museography of the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico.

The image of the Virgin of Guadalupe was widely distributed between 1650 and 1790 and became a key religious symbol in Spain, Italy, the Philippines and Latin America, the museum said in a statement.

Likewise, her miraculous image, with its beauty and technique, served as "proof of divine favor towards the inhabitants of New Spain" and for years was one of the most reproduced and copied images by New Spain artists.
The Prado continues its commitment to Latin American art

"The exhibition explores its circulation in Spain, the impulse of the cult in the Modern Age - adds the gallery -, the relations between the Virgin of Guadalupe of Extremadura and the Mexican one, and the role of artists in its dissemination."

'So Far, So Close. Guadalupe from Mexico in Spain' follows the path started by the museum in 2021 with 'Tornaviaje', an exhibition that focused on art made in Latin America.

The exhibition is part of the museum's programming for 2025, announced today and which will feature exhibitions by El Greco, Veronese and Rafael Mengs.

The Prado broke its historical record of visitors last year, with 3.45 million people, 6.6% more than in 2023.

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