The Museo Nacional del Prado, to the delight of fans and admirers of ‘Las Meninas‘ (The Maids of Honour),  has prepared an exhibition which critically engages 4 distinct artistic epochs. With the aim of paying homage to the great master Diego Velázquez, works from the Aragonese Francisco Goya, Pablo Picasso and Richard Hamilton, are reunited because of their connection to the artist. In this exhibition we can find three of Goya´s artist’s proofs of his reinterpretations of las Meninas, ‘Las Meninas de Picasso’ in blue ink by the talented artist from Malaga, and the stamp by the same name by Richard Hamilton, a pioneer of pop art in the United Kingdom that drew heavily on the work of Cubist master.

In addition, made available to the public for the first time are a collection of five artists proofs and six drawings, ‘Hommage à Picasso’ (Homage to Picasso) made in 1973 by Hamilton, which detail his creative process and show Pablo Picasso occupying the site of Velázquez.

Richard Hamilton is the creator of the famous Pop collage entitled ‘What is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing’, inhabited by a woman wearing a lampshade as a hat and a bodybuilder holding a giant lollipop. Today the image has been reprinted many times and probably pops up in short-stay apartments around the world, thanks to which we can enjoy urban culture around the world without sacrificing the comfort that so obsessed the pop art movement. A fun link between art and the way we live now, in apartments in Madrid or other cities of the globe.

In short, don’t miss this exhibition, which runs through July 4, 2010, thanks to an extension. There is much to see in so little time!