Cayetana: Grandee of Spain

Exhibition on Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba, at the Palacio de Liria in Madrid. It traces her biography, her artistic patronage and her social work through pieces of very diverse nature.

The exhibition, installed at the Palacio de Liria, the Madrid residence of the House of Alba, focuses on the figure of Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba, on the occasion of the centenary of her birth. After its stop at the Palacio de las Dueñas in Seville, the display has been reorganised to suit the Madrid rooms. The curators, Eugenia Martínez de Irujo and Cristina Carrillo de Albornoz, worked alongside the team of the Fundación Casa de Alba, drawing on several years of research.

The ensemble brings together works of art, haute couture dresses, photographs, objects and personal letters. The route, organised in thematic sections, traces her biography, her patronage of artists, her support for the fine arts and opera, and her work as a painter and collector. Lesser-known aspects are also shown, such as her early advocacy of animal welfare, her charitable activity and her social commitment.

A section added for this edition marks the seventieth anniversary of the major restoration of the Palacio de Liria. It focuses on the conservation of the House of Alba's legacy carried out by the duchess and her husband, Duke Luis, through previously unpublished photographs and documents.