Segovia 2017

Picasso is, without a doubt, the most celebrated, admired and representative artist of the 20th century, and yet his moral behaviour was questionable to say the least. In our moralistic 21st century world, hypersensitive to political correctness, and vigilant to themes of mistreatment and oppressive behaviours, José María Beneyto's Las Traiciones de Picasso —a non-fiction novel— raises the problem of the intrinsic value of the work of art; the relationship between creation and the life of its creator, and how far it is legitimate for an artist to justify his behaviour through his work. Beneyto is Professor of International Public Law and International Relations, a lawyer and a writer. He has been spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Spanish Congress of Deputies, and vice-president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

The event will be presented by Ana Nuria Fernández.

At the end of the event, the author will sign copies of his books at the library.

Event in Spanish

Carlos del Amor and Sergio C. Fanjul will discuss their works as well as exploring art at its best, seen as something exceptional and unique and, at the same time, necessary in people's everyday lives.

Del Amor is one of the most important voices in Spanish cultural journalism. Proof of this are the international awards won for his documentary Revelando a Dalí (Revealing Dalí). In 2013 he debuted in literature with the book of short stories La vida a veces; one of these stories, El trastero (Self Storage), was made into a film. In 2015 he published his first novel, El año sin verano, in 2017 came Confabulación, and in 2020, Emocionarte. La doble vida de los cuadros, with which he won the Espasa 2020 prize. His latest work, Retratarte, came out in 2022. Fanjul has a degree in Astrophysics and a Master's in Journalism. He has several published books and awards such as the Paco Rabal for Cultural Journalism or the Pablo García Baena for Poetry. He is a writing teacher, a TV scriptwriter, a radio operator in Poesía o Barbarie and a poetic performer. Since 2009 he has signed columns and articles in El País. His latest book is La España invisible.

At the end of the event, the authors will sign copies of their books at the book stall on Calle Real.

Event in Spanish

Many people wonder what place academic disciplines have in the art schools of the 21st century and in a society where technology tends to take centre stage. How do we understand handcrafts, knowledge of materials, traditional craft techniques, new technologies and human creativity in this context?

A member of one of the most emblematic and representative families of European collectionism from the Renaissance to the present day, direct heir to a history tied to the most admired art in the world, Lorenzo de' Medici will discuss the subject with Simoneta Gómez-Acebo, representative of the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship, and active member of the Contemporanea de Artes y Oficios (Contemporary Association of Arts and Crafts, CAO).

The conversation will be introduced by Belén Llamas Ferrier, president of the CAO.

Event in Spanish