Image: Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, Madrid
Madrid’s delegate for culture, tourism and sport, Marta Rivera de la Cruz, took part on 15 July in the presentation of a new space at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando that is centered on a 1796 portrait of George Washington by Josef Perovani. The installation has been presented in connection with the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States, and the city says it is using the display to mark a historical relationship between Madrid and the United States through works in the academy’s collection.
According to the city’s press note, Rivera de la Cruz described culture as one of the best bridges between countries and said the presentation allows Madrid to join the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States while highlighting heritage that speaks to the historic ties between the two nations. The remarks place the new space within a diplomatic and cultural frame, rather than as a single-object display.
The new area in the academy is described as a reflection on the influence of the United States on Madrid’s cultural and historical institutions, using Perovani’s portrait of Washington as its anchor. The city said the portrait will be shown alongside a portrait of Manuel Godoy by Francisco de Goya and a portrait of Carlos IV by Mariano Salvador Maella. Those works give the presentation an explicitly historical context, linking Spanish court portraiture with the broader transatlantic frame set out by the announcement.
The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando is one of Madrid’s major cultural institutions, and the city’s announcement presents the new space as part of its interpretive use of the academy’s holdings. The material available does not describe the installation as a temporary exhibition with a fixed closing date, but rather as a newly enabled viewing space that is now open at the academy.
The city’s note also identifies Perovani’s Washington portrait as the focal point of the presentation. No further curatorial details, borrowing arrangements or conservation information were provided in the source material, and the announcement does not indicate any associated public programme beyond the presentation itself.
The current viewing period listed in the event information begins on 15 July 2026 at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid.
