Zurbarán

This beautifully illustrated catalog accompanies the first major international exhibition in decades devoted to Francisco de Zurbarán, one of the greatest masters of seventeenth-century Spanish painting. Organized by the National Gallery and traveling to the Louvre Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago, the exhibition offers a fresh reassessment of an artist whose work remains among the most powerful achievements of the Spanish Baroque.

Alongside Diego Velázquez and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Zurbarán ranks among the most important painters of Spain’s Golden Age. Renowned for his striking naturalism, dramatic simplicity, and profound spiritual intensity, he created some of the most memorable religious images of the seventeenth century. His paintings combine monumental presence with meticulous observation, giving even the humblest objects and figures extraordinary dignity and emotional power.

Drawing on recent scholarship and new discoveries, this publication explores the full breadth of Zurbarán’s artistic achievement. Essays by leading specialists examine his major religious commissions, portraits, devotional works, and still lifes, placing them within the vibrant cultural and economic environment of Seville, one of Europe’s most prosperous cities during the artist’s lifetime. The catalog also considers his relationships with patrons ranging from monastic orders to private collectors and the Spanish crown.

Richly illustrated throughout, the volume presents many of Zurbarán’s finest works while offering new perspectives on his technique, artistic development, and lasting influence. It serves both as the definitive companion to this important exhibition and as an essential reference for collectors, scholars, and admirers of Spanish Baroque art.