Introduction
From June 3 until September 3, 2022, the Museo Nacional del Prado hosts screenings of La Quinta del Sordo, the latest filmic work by Philippe Parreno, focusing on Goya’s long-destroyed country house and its legendary wall paintings, the Pinturas negras (Black Paintings).
"La Quinta del Sordo" (House of the Deaf), situated on the outskirts of Madrid, was the home of Francisco de Goya in the years leading up to his exile. In two rooms of the country house, which Goya renovated and expanded, the artist created a series of 14 wall paintings in oil, known as the Black Paintings because of their dark colors, in which the main themes of his work found their last critical expression, in monumental form. Created between 1819 and 1824, the murals were only discovered after Goya’s death. Having acquired the house in 1873, Baron Émile d’Erlanger transferred the paintings to canvas and later donated them to the Spanish state. Sent to the the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid, these visionary masterpieces have been on view since 1889. The Prado Museum holds the largest collection of works by Francisco de Goya, including his other most famous paintings, as well as hundreds of drawings and sketchbooks.
Philippe Parreno filmed his science-fictional film inside the Prado Museum, in the rooms where the Black Paintings are exhibited. The film reproduces the relationship between the individual paintings and the house they were originally a part of. Creating a diegetic space, Parreno allows the audience to travel back in time and experience the Pinturas negras in their original setting. When filming at the Prado, the artist was able to capture the paintings up-close in incredible detail, creating a unique level of proximity and intimacy between the paintings and the viewer, with every detail and every brushstroke becoming visible. For the filming Parreno recreated a light setting that mimics the candle light and open fireplace, offering a light setting similar to how the paintings would have been seen at the time.
Visitor information
Five screenings – seances – will be held each day from Monday through Saturday, and four every Sunday. Visitors can reserve viewing time slots. Each screening is limited to 30 visitors. The screenings will be accompanied with a live cello performance, composed especially for the film. Further information via www.museodelprado.es
La Quinta del Sordo has been commissioned by the Fondation Beyeler with the generous support of the Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, where the film was shot in November 2020. The project is supported by The Adonyeva Foundation, Jan Fischer, Pamela and Richard Kramlich, Luma Foundation, Michael Ringier, Esther Schipper, and Gladstone Gallery.