The vision of securing County Durham’s place as an internationally renowned centre for Spanish art has moved a step closer, with the news that three of the region’s leading heritage and educational bodies are to join forces with two of the world’s top galleries for a unique series of public exhibitions and lectures.
Auckland Castle, The Bowes Museum and Durham University will this autumn link-up with London’s National Gallery and Madrid’s Museo del Prado.
The pioneering move will see many of the world’s top experts in Spanish Golden Age art gather in County Durham in October for a major three-day conference to mark the bicentenary of the arrival of Diego Velázquez’s Rokeby Venus in Teesdale.
This will coincide with important newly discovered and restored works of Golden Age Spanish art going on public display for the first time at The Bowes Museum and Auckland Castle, alongside significant loans from the National Gallery and Museo del Prado.
Both the exhibitions and symposium are part of a wider, long-term aspiration to establish County Durham as a key international academic and tourist destination focused around the area’s rich concentration of Spanish art.
Dr Chris Ferguson, Auckland Castle’s head curator said, “This conference, and the exhibitions at Auckland Castle and The Bowes Museum, are the beginning of our exciting project to make Spanish art accessible to the people of the North East and beyond.
“Bringing the foremost international scholars to County Durham will help us in our quest to research and understand some of the most exceptional collections of art in the United Kingdom.”
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
