Archer M. Huntington (1870-1955), son of one of the wealthiest men in America, decided that his passion for Spain had to be reflected by creating a museum and a library that would make his knowledge of Spanish art and culture available to his compatriots and that is how he founded in 1904 The Hispanic Society of America in New York. A section of more than two hundred of these treasures is being presented at important museums, such as the Museo del Prado (Madrid), el Palacio de Bellas Artes (Mexico City), and the Albuquerque, Cincinnati and Houston museums in the United States. This volume gathers the content of this great exhibition including a detailed file of each piece and an introductory essay telling the story of the Hispanic Society's creation and the scope of its collections.

"A review of Goya's life as it unfolded before he bought the quinta in 1819 will provide an impression of the complexion of the man who soon offered such awe-inspiring imagery on the walls of two of its rooms. An examination of the quinta setting which yields a somewhat revised plan of how the 'black' paintings were seen will then demonstrate that the paintings were envisioned as a program consisteing of two separate, though not unrelated, cycles. (Unhappily, Goya's placement of the scenes cannot yet be repeated in full.) An analysis of the subjects set forth upon the quinta walls will illustrate the significances and relevancies they should have held at the time in which the were created, and thus, their raison d'être. A consideration of possible antecedents which may have given impetus to the formulation and format of the program, and indications of Goya's alertness to works by his contemporaries in art, literature and the theater, will furnish insight into the plans he may have held for the 'black' paintintgs he brushed with such urgency within his quinta rooms."--Introduction, page 13

Francisco Goya has been widely celebrated as the most important Spanish artist of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the last of the Old Masters and the first of the Moderns, and an astute observer of the human condition in all its complexity. The many-layered and shifting meanings of his imagery have made him one of the most studied artists in the world. Few, however, have made the ambitious attempt to explore his work as a painter, printmaker, and draftsman across media and the timeline of his life. This book does just that, presenting a comprehensive and integrated view of Goya through the themes that continually challenged or preoccupied him, and revealing how he strove relentlessly to understand and describe human behavior and emotions even at their most orderly or disorderly extremes. Derived from the research for the largest Goya art exhibition in North America in a quarter century, this book takes a fresh look at one of the greatest artists in history by examining the fertile territory between the two poles that defined the range of his boundlessly creative personality.

"Published to accompany the exhibition Goya: the portraits, The National Gallery, 7 October 2015-10 January 2016."--Title page verso.

Published on the occasion of an exhibition held at the Frick Collection, Oct. 5, 2010-Jan. 9, 2011.