The stone object “materializes the symbolic association between violence, weapons, and masculinity,” said the lead archaeologist.
Spain
Museums Leaders Voice Support for Former Director of Reina Sofia
In an open letter, European institutional leaders defend Manuel Borja-Villel, who has faced right-wing attacks for his progressive programming.
Cinthia Marcelle Celebrates Collaboration Through Chaos
Collaboration in Marcelle’s work pursues ambiguity and disorder in order to destabilize hierarchies of race and class.
Prado Museum Investigates 25 Artworks Seized During Spanish Civil War
The investigation represents the first step of a process to return the works to families and descendants of those who originally owned them.
Blind Spots Abound in Guggenheim Bilbao’s Car-Themed Exhibition
Motion lionizes the personal automobile as an objet d’art of unparalleled cultural influence while minimizing its negative effects. Oh, and it’s sponsored by Volkswagen and Cadillac.
“Unusually Large” Roman-Era Stone Phallus Impresses Archaeologists
The discovery confirms that it’s not the length of the history that matters, so much as its breadth.
Home Is a Mindset for a Nomadic Artist
Carlos Bunga’s architectural installation in the Reina Sofía’s Crystal Palace creates the facade of stability and strength yet is actually ephemeral and even fragile.
Spanish Officials Seize Private Taxidermy Collection Worth $31M
Civil Guard agents raided a warehouse near Valencia that housed hundreds of specimens of endangered animals, including at least one extinct species.
Exploring the Politics of Masks Beyond COVID
Though masks are popularly conceived of as limiting expression, they allow their wearers to access a range of emotionality, of which the human face alone is incapable.
At the Prado, Visitors Can Inhale the Smells of a Brueghel Painting
The Madrid museum collaborated with a fragrance company to create ten scents of items seen in the masterpiece “The Sense of Smell.”
Pedro Almodóvar Presents a Beguiling Thriller About Motherhood
Penélope Cruz and Milena Smit play two new mothers from very different backgrounds in the Spanish director’s latest study in female interiority.
Guggenheim Bilbao’s Cleaning Staff Stages Protest-Performance Over Dismal Wages
This weekend, artist Lorenzo Bussi collaborated with cleaning workers to protest poor working conditions and low pay at the glitzy contemporary art museum.