This initiative was announced during the presentation of the book Goya a la luz del norte (Goya in the Light of the North) at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando. Mayor Martínez-Almeida emphasized the significance of Goya's figure, describing him as Zaragoza's most illustrious neighbor, and recalled that a substantial part of his artistic career unfolded in Madrid.
Furthermore, Martínez-Almeida encouraged citizens to visit the collection of the painter's works housed at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, which, according to him, holds the second-best Goya collection globally, surpassed only by that of the Prado Museum. Institutional contacts for the 2028 event are already underway.
“"Hundreds of works on Goya are published annually, and it is very difficult to contribute something original in relation to his intense and immense body of work."
The book Goya a la luz del norte, presented at the same event, is the result of nearly seven years of scientific research. This volume, promoted by the Santander Art Museum and the Asturias Museum of Fine Arts, comprises almost 500 pages and over 300 images. The Mayor of Santander, Gema Igual, who attended the event, highlighted the challenge of offering fresh perspectives on such a thoroughly studied artist.
The scientific direction of the work was led by Salvador Carretero, Manuela Mena, and Alfonso Palacio, with the collaboration of experts such as Gudrun Maurer, head of the Goya collections at the Prado Museum. The research explores the painter's connection with northern Spain, particularly with Cantabria and Asturias, and includes discoveries such as a series of Goya's Caprichos from the first edition of 1799, preserved in the Menéndez Pelayo Library, in addition to studies on portraits of Asturian and Cantabrian figures and a chrono-biography of the artist.
