A Spanish artist submitted to the Reina Sofía competition a reversion of
Diego Velázquez's famous painting
,
Las Meninas
, featuring the current Spanish royal family.
He didn't win but he created a stir in that country.
The work even includes the controversial Juan Carlos I, who has lived since 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, after being involved in several scandals linked to embezzlement of funds.
"The Menin@s of the 21st century"
is the title of the work whose author,
Juan Antonio Romero
, was left empty-handed when faced with the awards of the renowned Spanish contest, although he managed to become a
trend on social networks in his country.
The artist, 63 years old, recreated Velázquez's famous masterpiece in a contemporary version in which he has replaced the
royal family of the 17th century with the current one
in a more modern environment, with
Infanta Leonor in the center
surrounded by her descendants younger.
Several people admire "Las meninas", by Velázquez, exhibited in the Prado Museum.
Photo: EFE
The work is on display until February 29 at the Mahely gallery in the Lavapiés neighborhood, on Fourquet Street, where you can see how the members of the current royal family replace those painted by Velázquez on the canvas at that time.
Queen
Sofia
appears sitting almost in the foreground, next to her
dog
, while
Juan Carlos
appears through the door in the background and the couple
Felipe and Letizia
can be seen barely reflected in the mirror in the background of the scene.
In this reinterpretation, the painter
Velázquez remains with brush in hand
, just as in the original.
There is no shortage of
jeans or cell phones
in this
reloaded
version of
Las Meninas.
The artist explained to the Spanish newspaper that he was inspired by Velázquez's original scene and that his intention was not to be controversial, but rather
to pay tribute to Queen Sofía
for a contest that precisely bears her name.
The artist did not refrain from including in the photo Juan Carlos I, father of King Felipe, who has resided in Abu Dhabi since 2020 despite the fact that the Spanish justice system closed the investigations into his various tax irregularities in March 2022.
The original masterpiece
Las Meninas
, a masterpiece currently preserved in the
Museo Nacional del Prado
, is a group portrait that the Spanish artist Diego Velázquez made in 1656 for King
Philip IV of Habsburg
, when he worked for the court.
He represented the Infanta Margarita, daughter of the king, surrounded by the courtiers at her service, an
irreverent gesture
for the time that the author, with so many years of working inside the palace, could afford to make.
Who was he painting?
To the kings who appear reflected in the mirror?
To Infanta Margarita and her Meninas?
In addition?
To all the spectators who stand in front of him every day?
Many doubts about
Las Meninas
remain valid, despite the fact that it is a very studied work that was exposed until the back.
Velázquez's work is a symbol of Spain, to which artists return.
Some time ago
80 meninas
(those ladies-in-waiting of noble lineage who entered the Court) were located in some of the nerve centers of Madrid.
The Reina Sofía Prize for Painting and Sculpture, organized by the Spanish Association of Painters and Sculptors, is endowed with 10,000 euros and seeks to promote international recognition among its winners.
With agency information
J.S.