Goya Tapestries from Spain's Royal Collections Debut at Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Buenos Aires

Key facts

• The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Buenos Aires opened "Goya en Buenos Aires. Tapices de las Colecciones Reales de España," running until January 17.
• Two Goya tapestries are exhibited: La cometa and La gallina ciega, from the Colecciones Reales de Patrimonio Nacional.
• It is the first time the Galería de las Colecciones Reales presents a guest work in the Americas, with the initiative intended to continue in other countries.
• The project is part of the action plan of the Consejo Internacional de Mecenas de las Colecciones Reales and is driven by the Fundación Callia.
• In 1928, the then Real Patrimonio authorized sending ten Goya-designed tapestries woven by the Real Fábrica de Tapices de Santa Bárbara to Argentina.
• Goya created designs for seven large tapestry series between 1775 and 1792 under Carlos III and Carlos IV for the palaces of El Pardo and San Lorenzo de El Escorial.
• La gallina ciega was made for the infantas' bedroom at the Palacio Real de El Pardo; La cometa for the dining room of the Príncipes de Asturias there, and it is now kept at the Palacio Real de Aranjuez.
• The museum's Goya holdings began in 1906 when founding director Eduardo Schiaffino acquired four prints in Europe, later expanded with paintings and complete print series.