Cai Guo-Qiang to Create Gunpowder Paintings at Prado Museum

Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang, winner of the Golden Lion at the 1999 Venice Biennale and the 2012 Imperial Prize, has been invited for a two-week residency at the Museo del Prado in Madrid in September 2017. The residency will culminate in his first solo exhibition at the Prado, titled 'Lo spirito della pittura', running from October 25, 2017 to March 4, 2018. During the residency, Cai will create gunpowder paintings in the Salón de Reinos, a historic hall of the former Palacio del Buen Retiro, before its renovation by architect Norman Foster. The Spanish company Acciona, a global leader in renewable energy, is sponsoring the project. The gunpowder is supplied by a company from Valencia, which also handles security. A monumental work, 'Lo spirito della pittura', measuring 18 meters in length, will be created possibly in a public performance. The project was presented at the Salón de Reinos shortly after the announcement of Miguel Falomir Faus as the new director of the Prado, succeeding Miguel Zugaza, who directed the museum for fifteen years.