The Brilliance of the Spanish World: El Greco, Velázquez, Zurbarán

 Milwaukee Art Museum 

May 2–July 27, 2025

The Brilliance of the Spanish World showcases awe-inspiring paintings by Hispanic artists who helped shape the art of the Renaissance and Baroque eras.

Renaissance and Baroque masterpieces from the most significant collection of Hispanic art outside of Spain travel to the Milwaukee Art Museum this spring for The Brilliance of the Spanish World: El Greco, Velázquez, Zurbarán. Drawn from the collection of the Hispanic Society Museum & Library, the exhibition features more than 50 works of art by influential Hispanic artists of the era and will be on view May 2–July 27, 2025, in Baker/Rowland Galleries.

“We’re honored to partner with the Hispanic Society Museum & Library to bring this exhibition of Renaissance and Baroque treasures to the Midwest,” said Marcelle Polednik, PhD, Donna and Donald Baumgartner Director.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Spain established the first worldwide empire through exploration and colonial conquest, generating wealth that led to the flourishing of art and literature. This exhibition offers a glimpse into this era of artistic ambition and cultural complexity and showcases its artistic legacy with paintings by El Greco, Diego Velázquez, and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, as well as works by artists working in the Spanish Americas.

The Brilliance of the Spanish World continues the Museum’s tradition of presenting high caliber European art exhibitions, such as Art, Life, Legacy (2023); A Modern Vision (2019); and Bouguereau & America (2019). It provides Midwestern audiences an unparalleled opportunity to experience a concentrated collection of remarkable Renaissance and Baroque paintings by Hispanic artists. 

Among its roster of renowned artists is 

Francisco de Zurbarán, whose Saint Francis of Assisi in His Tomb (1630/34) defined the ambitious course of the Milwaukee Art Museum’s own European collection.

“The Zurbarán continues to be a centerpiece of the Museum’s collection, awing visitors since its acquisition in 1958,” said Tanya Paul, Isabel and Alfred Bader Curator of European Art. “I’m delighted to bring to our audiences an extraordinary exhibition, which includes paintings by Zurbarán as well as amazing artists visitors may not have encountered before, that will build upon and expand the stories we’re able to share about this significant period in Spanish art history.”

The exhibition showcases a breadth of paintings from the vividly secular to the profoundly religious created in service of the Roman Catholic faith, whether in Spain or its many colonies. Highlights include: 

• Saint Jerome by El Greco (Doménikos Theotokópoulos), ca. 1600. This painting portrays the quintessential early Christian saint holding a crucifix, with books, a skull, and an hourglass before him—all in the artist’s recognizable Mannerist style.

• Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares by Diego Velázquez, ca. 1625–1626. This magisterial portrait depicts one of the most influential figures of his day and emphasizes the vast power he wielded.

• Saint Emerentiana by Francisco de Zurbarán, ca. 1635–1640. This painting portrays the saint holding a book and stones—the instruments of her martyrdom—in a likeness marked by Zurbarán’s mastery of sculptural form and the depiction of elaborate textiles.

• The Wedding at Canna by Nicolás de Correa, 1696. This is an enconchado that illustrates the biblical story in which Jesus miraculously makes wine from water at a wedding he attends. A unique art form developed in the Spanish colonies in the late 17th century, enconchados are paintings on wood panels inlaid with shells and iridescent mother-of-pearl.

• The Prodigal Son Among the Swine by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, 1656–1665. This painting depicts the biblical parable of the Prodigal Son in which a young man begs for forgiveness after squandering his inheritance. This subject was especially relevant as Southern Spain experienced widespread suffering due to plague and famine during Murillo’s lifetime.

The Brilliance of the Spanish World: El Greco, Velázquez, Zurbarán was curated by Guillaume Kientz, Director and CEO of the Hispanic Society Museum & Library. Its Milwaukee Art Museum presentation was organized by Tanya Paul, Isabel and Alfred Bader Curator of European Art.

This exhibition was organized by the Hispanic Society Museum & Library, with support from The Museum Box.