Spain’s Prado museum spotlights forgotten artist, Rosario Weiss
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Since 2024, a portrait of María del Rosario Weiss Zorrilla (1814-1843) has been displayed in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, attracting attention from museum staff who call its gallery “the paranoia room” due to the intense gazes of the portraits within.
Writer Sergio del Molino first encountered Weiss’s work at the Prado and felt a strong connection to the artist, which shaped his writing and led to his novel La hija (The Daughter).
He discovered Weiss had been largely erased from art history, despite a life intertwined with Francisco de Goya. She was his daughter, born to Leocadia Zorrilla, who also served as his housekeeper and likely second wife. Del Molino’s research reveals Weiss faced obstacles in the Madrid art world because of her parentage, experiencing a form of cancellation from established circles connected to Goya’s legitimate son.
She persevered, working as a portrait artist in pencil and lithography, techniques she learned in France. The author believes her difficult circumstances contributed to her artistic talent, and argues that understanding her connection to Goya is essential to appreciating her work.
Del Molino also points out a pattern of cultural appropriation, noting that Goya gained prominence through French intellectuals and that Spain often looks to other nations for validation of its own cultural heritage, similar to how Peru needed outside recognition to acknowledge the importance of Machu Picchu.
He emphasizes that Spain’s modern identity stems from the era of Goya and Weiss, not earlier periods, and laments the fact that despite some recent attention, Weiss remains largely unknown even within academic circles.
