La Lonja de Zaragoza to Host 'Most Ambitious' Exhibition Next Year for Goya's Bicentennial

Zaragoza is intensively preparing to commemorate the bicentennial of the death of its most famous artist, Francisco de Goya. From April 16 to August 8, 2027, the historic Renaissance market hall La Lonja will host an exhibition titled 'Two Hundred Years with Goya.' According to city authorities, this event is intended to be the most ambitious exhibition organized for this occasion, aiming to make Zaragoza an international center of Goya's heritage. The exhibition will gather works by over forty artists whose creations reference Goya's work and persona. Among the confirmed names are such significant figures as Pablo Picasso, Édouard Manet, and Spanish painter Ignacio Zuloaga. The curator of the exhibition is Pedro J. Martínez Plaza, a 19th-century painting conservator at the prestigious Museo Nacional del Prado. As he emphasized, the goal of the exhibition is to present, for the first time, a full, chronological vision of Goya's reception and influence on world art over the last two centuries. It will trace the journey of his work from his death in 1828 to contemporary times, tracking his inspiration for subsequent generations. Francisco de Goya, born in 1746 in Fuendetodos near Zaragoza, was a court painter to the Spanish kings Charles III and Charles IV. He is considered a precursor of modern art, and his late, dark works, known as the 'Black Paintings,' had a tremendous influence on Romanticism, Realism, and Expressionism. He died in exile in Bordeaux, France, on April 16, 1828.The official announcement of the exhibition details took place on Monday, February 23, 2026, during a press conference with the mayor of Zaragoza, Natalia Chueca. City authorities describe next year's exhibition as a milestone in promoting the culture of the Aragon region. Zaragoza, the birthplace and site of the artist's early education, aims to use the anniversary to strengthen its position on Europe's cultural map and attract an international audience. The exhibition at La Lonja will likely be one of the central points of the bicentennial celebrations, alongside other events planned throughout Spain and abroad. This event fits into a broader trend of large, monographic exhibitions dedicated to key figures in art history, organized for important anniversaries. Planned Events Related to Goya: April 16, 2027 — Opening of the exhibition 'Two Hundred Years with Goya' in Zaragoza; August 8, 2027 — Closing of the exhibition at La Lonja; April 16, 2028 — Exact 200th anniversary of Francisco Goya's death