'Order of the Arts and Letters of Spain' prijs naar de 'International Committee for the Safeguarding of Spanish Art Treasures' (en)

The Prime Minister of Spain, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero i, will present the Order of the Arts and Letters of Spain to the representatives of the museums and members of the International Committee for the Safeguarding of Spanish Art Treasures, which is without doubt one of the most important events in the cultural programme in the framework of the Spanish Presidency of the EU i.

The decorations will be awarded in a formal and institutional ceremony to be held in the Las Meninas Room of the Prado Museum (25 January, 12:00 a.m.), the famous work by Velázquez sent to Geneva in 1939. The award, designed by the famous painter and sculptor Antoni Tàpies, is one of the most important awards given by the Spanish Government, after approval by the Council of Ministers at the request of the Ministry of Culture.

The ceremony will start with the performance of the "Song of the Birds" by Pau Casals, played by the cellist Pablo Fernández Castro, and will also be attended by the Assistant Director General of Culture of the UNESCO i, Francoise Rivière; the Spanish Minister of Culture, Ángeles González-Sinde; and the Chairman of the Royal Board of Trustees of the Prado Museum, Plácido Arango, among other dignitaries.

Sir Frederic Kenyon, ex director of the British Museum; James G. Mann, curator of the Wallace Collection; and Timoteo Pérez Rubio, in the Valencia Colegio del Patriarca next to Las Meninas by Velázquez. National Library of Spain.

In addition to the award winners, the ceremony will also be attended by the descendants of the main Spanish protagonists involved in saving the works, as well as representatives from the main cultural institutions whose heritage was evacuated in this operation: the Prado Museum, San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts, National Library, Archaeological Museum, Botanical Gardens, National Historical Archives or the América, Cerralbo, Lázaro Galdiano or Episcopal Conference museums, as many of the saved works belonged to the ecclesiastical heritage; other works came from private collections, including the Duchess of Alba or the Cambó family.

The mayors and mayoresses of the Spanish cities where these works of arts were stored during their journey (Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona and Figueras) have also been invited to the institutional ceremony, along with the ambassadors from the 27 countries in the EU and from the other countries that directly took part in safeguarding Spain's artistic heritage, either safeguarding the works, or taking in the exiled protagonists, as is the case of the United States, Mexico, Brazil and Venezuela.

With the awarding of these prizes, Spain is settling an historic debt with the people and museums of democratic Europe who took part in protecting and safeguarding Spanish artistic heritage during the Civil War and the Post War years.

Recipients

The Order of the Arts and Letters of Spain will go to the following European museums linked to the International Committee for the Safeguarding of Spanish Art Treasures, who will also be joined by the Metropolitan of New York (the directors-representatives who will collect the awards in the name of the award winning art galleries are indicated next to the name of the gallery):

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  Reunión des Museés Nationaux (France) Director: Marie Cristine Labourdette.
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  National Gallery (England) Deputy Director: Susan Foister.
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  Geneva Art and History Museum (Switzerland). Director: Jean-Yves Marin.
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  Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam, Holland). Director: Wim Pijbes.
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  Brussels Royal Fine Arts Museums (Brussels, Belgium). Director: Michel Draguet.
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  Tate Gallery (England) Member of the Board of Trustees: Professor Dawn Ades.
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  Wallace Collection (London, England). Head of Collections: Christoph Vogtherr.
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  Louvre Museum (France) Pending Confirmation.
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  Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York (United States). President: Emily Rafferty.

Caption: Arrival of the train with the works coming from Geneva at the Norte Station in Madrid on 9 September 1939. EFE.

Descendants

Another of this great victories of this journey is that people from both the Republican and the Nationalist sides took part in the Spanish side of the story, which made it a model of dignity and cultural responsibility. However, it must be said that the prominent role in this safeguarding went to the Republic's Central Committee for Artistic Treasures, with Timoteo Pérez Rubio in charge, although the work carried out by the painter, José María Sert, who supported the Nationalists, was also commendable.

The descendants of the people who took part in the International Committee for the Safeguarding of Spanish Works of Art, and who will attend the award ceremony are:

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  Rafael ALONSO
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  Cristina ÁLVAREZ DE SOTOMAYOR
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  Concepción ARPE
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  Luz FEDUCHI
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  Ignacio FEDUCHI
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  Guadalupe, FERNÁNDEZ GASCÓN
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  Concha HERRERO
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  Carmen LAFUENTE NIÑO
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  Ángel MACARRÓN
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  José Manuel MATILLA
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  Álvaro MARTÍNEZ NOVILLO
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  Juan MORÁN CABRÉ
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  Dolores OLIVER
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  Carlos PÉREZ CHACEL
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  Socorro PROUS
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  Francisco DE SERT
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  Joselino VAAMONDE HORCADA

Commemorative exhibition inauguration

After the awarding of the Order of the Arts and Letters of Spain, the "Saved Art" exhibition will be opened, which deals with the work carried out by the International Committee for the Safeguarding of Spanish Art Treasures, created in 1939.

In addition to the Prime Minister of Spain and the other authorities taking part in the awards, the opening of the exhibition will be attended by the President of the Spanish Agency of Cultural Commemorations (SECC), Soledad López, and the curator of the exhibition, Arturo Colorado Castellary.

The event will end with the "Heritage, Civil War and the Post War Period" International Symposium, to be held in the Prado Museum from 25 to 27 January.