DISCOVER THE HIDDEN STORIES OF JÁVEA
Step into Jávea’s lesser-known side with this engaging anthology, where hidden stories come vividly to life, from its Roman fish farm to the unexpected adventures of Joaquín Sorolla. Encounters with a foreign French family, a little-known mysterious ship, and forgotten monuments add intrigue and depth, revealing the author’s central idea that Jávea’s true identity lives in the details most people overlook.
GOTHIC GLORY JÁVEA
Step into the enduring beauty of Jávea’s past with this architectural history guide that brings the remarkable Old Town to life, including the Church of San Bartolomé and its surrounding Gothic buildings.
Recently, I had the great pleasure of visiting the Joaquín Sorolla exhibition at the Fundación Bancaja in Valencia with nine of my students. It was a truly remarkable experience. For me, it was especially thrilling to encounter several paintings that have long remained in the Sorolla family’s private collection, works that earned recognition and awards in academic exhibitions not only in Spain but across Europe and the United States.
IN 1901, PABLO PICASSO was barely twenty years old, brilliant, ambitious, and already restless. He had left Spain to chase success in Paris, where modern art was reinventing itself in the cafés and galleries of Montmartre. But that same year, his closest friend, Carlos Casagemas, took his own life, a loss that left Picasso heartbroken and profoundly changed. Standing between youthful optimism and personal grief, he created Child with a Dove, a painting that captures both innocence and the first shadow of sorrow.
THIS OCTOBER 2025, we have a very special opportunity to continue our exploration of Joaquín Sorolla’s art outside the classroom. As many of you know, the Sorolla Museum in Madrid is temporarily closed for renovation and expansion. Because of this, an extraordinary collection of Sorolla’s masterpieces will be traveling to Valencia for a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition at the Bancaja Foundation, opening on October 3, 2025.
The exhibition will bring 60 of Sorolla’s most representative masterpieces, including two of my all-time favorites such as Paseo a la orilla del mar (Walk by the Sea) and El baño del caballo (The Horse’s Bath). These are rarely shown outside the Sorolla Museum, so to see them in Valencia is truly fabulous.
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DURING THE PERIOD of the great Valencian painter and humanist Joaquín Sorolla (1863-1923), children's health and social problems were an important issue, and his artwork reflects the harsh realities faced by the most vulnerable members of society. Sorolla's compassionate and often stark portrayals of sick or impoverished children, such as in "Sad Inheritance" (1899), served as a powerful form of social commentary, bringing to light the devastating effects of diseases like polio.
BREAKING NEWS!
The Bancaja Foundation of Valencia has extended the fabulous exhibition “Scenes and Landscapes in Valencian Painting. 19th and 20th Centuries”, which opened on May 9, 2025, until October 19, 2025!
This is such an exciting opportunity to dive into the rich world of Valencian art and experience masterpieces up close.
Among the incredible works on display is El Beso by Bernardo Ferrándiz Bádenes, a painting that captures all the warmth, tradition, and storytelling of the costumbrista style.
