Borbones y membrillos

Years 90. After the Olympics, the juancarlism reaches historical maximums. To immortalize the moment, the Royal House commissions a family portrait from the most popular artist. Antonio López takes twenty years to paint it, but when he looks up from the canvas, he finds an unrecognizable Spain in which no one wants to see his painting anymore. This essay contains several duels: that of the real Juan Carlos against the painted Juan Carlos, that of the euphoric Spain of 1994 against the plucked Spain of 2014, and the real portraits of Goya and Velázquez against that of Antonio López. The history of art, cultural criticism and political chronicle intersect in Borbones y membrillos to discover the impossibility of the autonomy of art. A book against blindness that strives to rid art of politics and historical context.