Felipe and Letizia meet Annie Leibovitz to take a closer look at the controversial royal portraits
Until this Wednesday, the monarchs had not seen the works of the exhibition 'The Tyranny of Cronos'
BarcelonaThree months after the Bank of Spain opened its doors to the controversial Real portraits by Annie Leibovitz, this Wednesday morning the kings visited the works with the internationally renowned photographer. The event was also attended by a small group of press who witnessed the response of Felipe and Letizia when they saw Leibovitz's creation for the first time. Even so, neither of them wanted to comment on the American's work, some portraits that at the time of being made public in November generated a great controversy due to speculation about the message that Leibovitz had wanted to convey.
The photographer has traveled expressly to the Spanish capital to be present at the visit of the kings to the exhibition called The tyranny of Cronus, where the two portraits are, which cost 137,000 euros, assumed by the Bank of Spain itself. Although the monarchs were aware of the two photographs chosen for the commission, neither Felipe nor Letizia had had the opportunity to observe up close and in real size the photographs taken a year ago, on February 26, 2024.
After touring the exhibition and seeing the portraits made by the renowned artist, the kings have looked closely and carefully at the portraits directed solely by Leibovitz. Under the noise of the flashes and the expectation of the moment, both nodded and refrained from answering the journalists who insisted on knowing what their opinion was about the creation of the American. While Felipe has said that it is not up to them to give an opinion on a work of art, Letizia has returned the question to the journalists present in the room of the Bank of Spain: "And you, what do you think?"
The result of the session of more than five hours in the Gasparini Hall of the Royal Palace, where receptions usually take place, remains open to the public since November 27 and will extend until March 29 with prior reservation. Along with both photographs, there will also be a portrait of the former governor of the Bank of Spain Pablo Hernández de Cos, an image that cost 88,000 euros.