Author Description

During an era when Spanish artists found success abroad yet struggled for recognition at home, the artist, critic, and collector Fernando Zóbel (1924-1984) established the Museo de Arte Abstracto Español in Cuenca (Castilla-La Mancha) on July 1, 1966, the first institution of its kind within Spain. This richly illustrated volume tells the story of this pioneering artists' museum and the cultural context in which it was founded. The catalogue section presents forty-two outstanding works from the museum's collection with biographical essays on the artists. In the Shadow of Dictatorship presents new perspectives on abstract art produced in Spain in the mid-twentieth century and its complex relationship to the Franco regime.