“De Arte. DocumentalES” – captivating films about Spanish and Hispanic American art, at the Cervantes Institute

The Cervantes Institute in Bucharest and Happy Cinema invite the Bucharest audience to a series of film screenings about Spanish and Hispano-American art, titled “De Arte. DocumentalES.” The selection includes documentary films about the Prado Museum, El Greco, Joachim Patinir, Francisco de Zurbarán, Diego Velázquez, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Frida Kahlo, Remedios Varo, Peggy Guggenheim, and Salvador Dalí – a coherent and engaging program for all audiences, appealing both to specialists and the general public.

The screenings will take place every Monday at 7:00 PM at the Cervantes Institute (Bdul Regina Elisabeta 38) from March 31 to July 7, except on public holidays. The films will be shown in their original versions with Romanian subtitles. Tickets, priced at 20 lei, can be purchased on the Happy Cinema website, under the Cervantes Institute section.

The series opens on Monday, March 31, at 7:00 PM with the feature-length documentary THE PRADO MUSEUM: A Collection of Wonders (directed by Valeria Parisi, Italy-Spain, 2019, 90 min, original version in English, Romanian subtitles).

Dr. Călin-Alexiu Stegerean, General Director of the National Museum of Art of Romania, will introduce the film.

Released in 2019, the year the renowned Prado Museum celebrated its 200th anniversary, the documentary showcases magnificent masterpieces housed in the monumental Madrid museum—artworks that tell the story of Spain and an entire continent.

We find ourselves in one of the world’s great art temples, a place of memories and a mirror of the present, with 1,700 works on display and another 7,000 in conservation. This collection speaks of kings, queens, dynasties, wars, defeats, and victories, as well as the emotions and sentiments of past and present generations, whose lives intertwine with those of rulers, painters, artists, architects, curators, intellectuals, and museum visitors. The life of the Prado Museum in Madrid begins with the birth of Spain as a nation and the marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, which marked the formation of the Spanish Empire.

The protagonists of THE PRADO MUSEUM: A Collection of Wonders are the masterpieces themselves, the great artists who created them, the kings and queens who collected them, and the stories behind this extraordinary collection. Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons will guide viewers through the beauty and art of the Prado Museum.

The film series will continue from April through early July as follows:

• April 7: El Greco: The Painter of the Invisible (dir. Miguel Ángel Trujillo, Spain, 2014, 52 min)
  Introduction by: Mălina Conțu, Art Historian, National Museum of Art of Romania
  The documentary is a fascinating journey through time and space, from El Greco’s native Crete, where he painted small icons, to Toledo, his final residence, where he created monumental church and monastery paintings, as well as Venice and Rome, where his art was influenced by the masters of the Italian Renaissance.

• April 14: Patinir: The Invention of Landscape (dir. Miguel Ángel Trujillo, Spain, 2007, 50 min)
  Introduction by: Miruna Moraru, Curator, National Museum of Art of Romania
  This documentary explores the enigma of a painter with a little-known biography, who, in the early 16th century, revolutionized the entire art market and the very concept of painting.

• April 28: Zurbarán and His Twelve Sons (dir. Arantxa Aguirre, Spain, 2020, 72 min)
  Introduction by: Miruna Moraru, Curator, National Museum of Art of Romania
  The documentary presents the series of thirteen paintings Jacob and His Twelve Sons, created by Francisco de Zurbarán in Seville around 1640, likely intended for the New World.

• May 5: Rubens: The Spectacle of Life (dir. Miguel Ángel Trujillo, Spain, 2010, 50 min)
  Introduction by: Mălina Conțu, Art Historian, National Museum of Art of Romania
  Rubens was not only an artist of remarkable talent but also a learned scholar and a dedicated diplomat. In the context of the crisis of his time, his work affirmed the values of a world that gradually faded, brought to life through the magic of his brush and the power of his narratives.

• May 12: Velázquez: Art and Power (dir. José Manuel Gómez Vidal, Spain, 2022, 71 min)
  Introduction by: Mălina Conțu, Art Historian, National Museum of Art of Romania
  One of the key themes in Velázquez’s life was his pursuit of power’s favor: first in his native Seville, where he engaged with influential circles, and later at court, serving King Philip IV. But was painting his ultimate goal or merely a means to an end? And why did he take such great care to keep his personal life hidden?

• May 19: Murillo: The Last Journey (dir. José Manuel Gómez Vidal, Spain, 2018, 70 min)
  Introduction by: Miruna Moraru, Curator, National Museum of Art of Romania
  The documentary explores the impact of a stolen heritage on Murillo’s work, now scattered across major museums worldwide.

• May 26: Frida. Viva la Vida (dir. Giovanni Troilo, Italy, 2019, 98 min)
  Introduction by: Dr. Judit Balint, Deputy Director, National Museum of Art of Romania
  This film highlights the dual nature of Frida Kahlo: the revolutionary artist and contemporary feminist pioneer, and the human being, tormented by her own body and a turbulent relationship.

• June 2: Remedios Varo: As Essential as She Is Invisible (dir. Toni Espinosa, Spain, 2014, 58 min)
  Introduction by: Dr. Judit Balint, Deputy Director, National Museum of Art of Romania
  A journey through the short but intense career of Remedios Varo, whose work blends the mystical and the fantastical.

• June 16: Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict (dir. Lisa Immordino Vreeland, USA, 2015, 58 min)
  Introduction by: Dr. Judit Balint, Deputy Director, National Museum of Art of Romania
  The film follows Peggy Guggenheim, a central figure in modern art who collected both art and artists, shaping a world-renowned collection.

• June 30: Salvador Dalí: The Early Years (dir. David Pujol, Spain, 2019, 58 min)
  Introduction by: Dr. Călin-Alexiu Stegerean, General Director, National Museum of Art of Romania
  A documentary covering Dalí’s life from his birth to 1929, when he joined the Surrealist movement.

• July 7: Salvador Dalí: In Search of Immortality (dir. David Pujol, Spain, 2018, 110 min)
  Introduction by: Dr. Călin-Alexiu Stegerean, General Director, National Museum of Art of Romania
  A deep dive into Dalí’s life and work, presenting rare documents and images that reveal how he turned himself into a living work of art.

Through the De Arte. DocumentalES project, Happy Cinema—a 100% Romanian-owned cinema chain—continues its mission of bringing alternative content to high-class cultural venues. The full program can be found at www.happycinema.ro.