Release Date: June 23, 2009

Public Programs and Activities at the National Gallery of Art Celebrate The Art of Power: Royal Armor and Portraits from Imperial Spain
June 28–November 1, 2009

Washington, DC—For the first time in history, Spanish armor from the celebrated Royal Armory in Madrid is paired with portraits of rulers wearing the same armor in The Art of Power: Royal Armor and Portraits from Imperial Spain (June 28–November 29, 2009), which also includes magnificent tapestries of the 16th and 17th centuries. Exploring the themes, culture, and time period of this unique exhibition, the National Gallery of Art presents a variety of related public programs and activities.

All programs are offered free of charge. For more information, call (202) 737-4215, visit www.nga.gov, or inquire at the Information Desks.

Sunday Lectures

Introduction to the Exhibition —"The Art of Power: Royal Armor and Portraits from Imperial Spain"
June 28, 3:30 p.m.
West Building Lecture Hall
Alvaro Soler del Campo, curator, Patrimonio Nacional, Real Armería, Madrid

Images for an Empire: Charles V and the Visual Arts
September 27, 2:00 p.m.
East Building Auditorium
Miguel Falomir, Andrew W. Mellon Professor, Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art

Gallery Talks

Gallery talks will be given in English and Spanish throughout the run of the exhibition.

The Art of Power: Royal Armor and Portraits from Imperial Spain (60 mins.)
July 7, 9, 20, 24, 29; August 5, 7, 12; and September 13 at noon
August 4, 6, 8, 14, 18 and September 12 at 1:00 p.m.
September 8, 15, 16, 17, 25 at 11:00 a.m.

Spanish version: July 14, 18, 30 and October 20 at 1:00 p.m.; August 5, 14, 19 and October 8 at 2:00 p.m.; September 2, 18, 26 and October 28 at noon

Slashing the Enemy: Battle Representations on Tapestries (30 mins.)
Oliver Tostmann
October 6, 9, 12 at 2:00 p.m.

Concert

Spanish Brass
September 25, 5:30 p.m.
Sculpture Garden
Presented in honor of The Art of Power: Royal Armor and Portraits from Imperial Spain
The Spanish Brass will perform works from 18th-century Spain as well as contemporary arrangements.

Films

La Femme et le Pantin
Alexander Wimmer on guitar and computer
August 8, 3:00 p.m.
East Building Auditorium
Jacques de Baroncelli was one of the first to dramatize La Femme et le Pantin. In this story a rich Spaniard abandons his comfortable life for the love of Concha (Conchita Montenegro), a poor but proud woman who does what she must to survive. In a grand gesture, Baroncelli opens the film with a tableau of Goya’s painting The Straw Mannequin. Preservation by La Cinémathèque Française. (Jacques de Baroncelli, 1928, 35 mm, silent with live music, French intertitles with soft-title translation, 100 mins.)

The Devil Is a Woman
August 15, 1:00 p.m.
East Building Auditorium
Von Sternberg’s adaptation of Pierre Louÿs’ La Femme et le Pantin (this version was originally titled Caprice Espagnol) features Marlene Dietrich as the incredible Concha. "Everything—lighting, camera movements, editing, acting—is aligned in the desperate expression of the erotic power of the woman"—Ado Kyrou. Preservation by UCLA Film and Television Archive. (Josef von Sternberg, 1935, 35 mm, 80 minutes)

Exhibition Resource Table

An educational resource table located at the entrance of the exhibition and open several hours each day will include books, armor replicas, fabrics, and artists’ materials to help museum guests extend their understanding of the objects in the exhibition. Gallery staff will be on hand to answer questions and engage visitors of all ages.

Web Feature

An interactive exhibition Web feature for the exhibition at www.nga.gov/armor allows visitors to learn about Spanish royal armor and the historical figures who wore it. Find out more about the portraits and intricate tapestries that show the armor in use, and explore the many exhibition-related activities and programs that the Gallery has to offer.

Garden Café España

Inspired by the exhibitions Luis Meléndez: Master of the Spanish Still Life (May 17–August 23, 2009) and The Art of Power: Royal Armor and Portraits from Imperial Spain (June 28–November 29, 2009), award-winning Washington-based Chef José Andrés, executive chef of Jaleo and star of the PBS television series Made in Spain, has created a menu of signature Spanish dishes for Garden Café España at the National Gallery of Art.

In honor of The Art of Power, two dishes were adapted from Arte de Cocina (first published in 1611) by Francisco Martínez Montiño, chef to Philip II.

Located in the West Building near the 6th Street and Constitution Avenue entrance, the Garden Café is open for lunch Monday–Saturday, 11:30 am–3:00 p.m., and Sunday, noon–4:00 p.m. For more information or to make reservations for groups, please call (202) 712-7454 or visit www.nga.gov/dining.

Garden Café España is presented in partnership with Restaurant Associates and Executive Chef David Rogers at the National Gallery of Art.

Exhibition Organization and Support

The exhibition has been organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, the State Corporation for Spanish Cultural Action Abroad (SEACEX), and the Patrimonio Nacional of Spain.

The exhibition has been organized in association with the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and the Ministry of Culture, with the assistance of the Embassy of Spain in Washington, DC.

It is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

In kind promotional support for these exhibitions provided by Chef José Andrés of Jaleo and THINKfoodGROUP.