Curators: Cristina Mendoza, Assistant Director of Collections at the MNAC; Mercè Doñate, Head of the Modern Art Collection at the MNAC; Francesc Quílez, Head of the Department of Drawings and Prints at the MNAC and Elena Llorens, Conservation Assistant of the Modern Art Collection at the MNAC

The French Painter Gustave Courbet rocked the art world in the 19th century. Through his brush, reality entered painting: Realism was born.

With the aim of tracing his footsteps in this country, the MNAC is exhibiting a selection of his most outstanding works, most of which are being shown in Spain for the first time. The exhibition reveals Courbet’s influence on Catalan painting in the period, most of all through the work of Ramon Martí Alsina, the man responsible for the renewal of painting and who introduced Realism to the Spanish art scene.

It is an ambitious exhibition, produced by the MNAC, that invites the public to gain greater in-depth knowledge of Realism and at the same time discover its precedents and its legacy, in a show that deliberately goes beyond the temporal limits of this movement:
from the Spanish Golden Age, with paintings by Murillo, Ribera and Velázquez, to contemporary art, through the work of Antoni Tàpies, one of the most universal Catalan artists.

If you show your exhibition or general Museum admission ticket you can benefit from a 5% discount on the exhibition catalogue at the MNAC shop (offer valid until 10 July 2011).

With the collaboration:

Activities centring on the exhibition

Talks under the dome
Every Monday from 16 to 30 May at 7 pm. In the Sala de la Cúpula (Domed Hall). Free admission while places last

Leading specialists in various fields and areas of knowledge will talk about the relations that have been established and are established between Realism and art (16 May), literature (23 May) and the cinema (30 May). Taking part, amongst others, will be Rafael Argullol, Josep Cuní, Jaume Figueras, Antoni Llena, Emili Manzano, Eduardo Mendoza, Javier Pérez Andújar and Núria Vidal.

Looking at Realism(s)
Every Thursday from 19 May to 16 June. At 7 pm. Exhibition rooms. Free admission while places last

On the spot commentaries of the works by the exhibition curators and by the artist Antoni Llena. 

12 May: Bartolomé Esteban Murillo i les paradoxes del revisionisme realista. (Bartolomé Esteban Murillo and the paradoxes of realist revisionism) Francesc Quílez, Cabinet of Drawings and Prints.

19 May: “Autorretrat amb el coll de ratlles” de Courbet: la imatge de l’artista. Isabel Valverde, professora titular d’Història de l’Art, UPF

26 May: 'Els jugadors de daus' de Simó Gómez: la lliçó del Prado. ('The Dice Players' by Simó Gómez: a lesson from the Prado) Mercè Doñate, Department of Modern Art.

2 June: 'La migdiada' de Ramon Martí Alsina: l’art vivent. ('Midday Nap' by Ramon Martí i Alsina: living art) Cristina Mendoza, Assistant Director of Collections.

9 June: El nu femení: de la tradició a la trangressió del cànon. (The female nude: from tradition to transgression of the canon) Elena Llorens, Department of Modern Art.

16 June: Tàpies: la realitat soterrada. (Tàpies: buried reality) Antoni Llena, artist.

Museums night and day

Saturday 14 May, Museum Night, free admission from 7 pm to 1 am.
Wednesday 18 May, International Museum Day, free admission from 10 am to 7 pm.

Guided tours
Starting 16 April

Saturdays at 11 am (Spanish) and 12.30 pm (Catalan)
Duration: 1 hr 30 min
Free service (included in admission). Places limited

For families
Activities without guides available at any time during museum opening hours

Close-up on Realism
From 16 April to 24 July

Exhibition rooms. Activity included in admission.
A suggested itinerary for visiting the exhibition and observing certain works in detail.
Pick up the material for this activity at the information desk in the Museum vestibule.
Recommended for children aged 7 and over.

Let's be realistic!
From 8 April to 24 July

Espai educArt. Admission free.
Here you can join in three types of activity: the oldest can sit for a Realist portrait and the youngest can play at composing portraits. Everybody can take their turn on the sofa for a nap and imagine their version of Senyor Nicolau's dream.
In the Espai educArt you'll find everything you need for carrying out this activity.