La vista y la visión

This exhibition analyses the theme of the eye in the history of art from prehistory to the present day, presenting over 200 works (objects of worship, work with precious metals, paintings, sculpture, videos, etc.) from the most prestigious museums in the world. The eye is the organ of life: it is the sign of life. We close the eyes of the dead. Those who have passed away have a glassy, unmoving gaze. Yet the power of the immortal gods to see is never quenched. In some representations of them, the eyes occupy the whole of the face or there is only a single eye that concentrates the gaze. The eye was a sign of divinity in the most remote antiquity. The eye captures images of the external world, it is a receptacle. In addition to our external senses, human beings posses inner senses, called “eyes of the soul” in some cultures. Poets, prophets, magicians and shamans not only have visions and images that come from memory or the imagination but are also capable of deciphering and translating them for other human beings. In giving visible form to intangible images, these visionaries are true creators comparable to the gods. They are what we now call artists, who, the Surrealists maintained, possess an invisible, inner third eye. The exhibition is particularly rich in pieces from the Neolithic and Early Bronze Ages, together with modern works that include some outstanding video installations. It is complemented by a series of talks given by international specialists and a series of film showings. The curator of the exhibition is Pedro Azara.