The Vela Zanetti Foundation Museum is home to an important collection of the work created by an artist who was born in Burgos but whose heart belonged to the city of Leon.
José Vela Zanetti was born in the village of Milagros (Burgos) in 1913 and died in Burgos (General Hospital Yagüe) in 1999.
He moved to Leon when he was very young and there commenced his training as a painter. Throughout his life he forged his own inimitable style. His work is unmistakable, full of strong, colourful, impressive strokes. Vela wanted his painting to reflect the golden colours of the fields of Castile and the history that marked the lives of a community with a long history. The passion he felt for the land can be seen in his work, although he said once that his aim as an artist was to “always break through superficialities” and that he “just painted farmers”.
Vela was multifaceted and worked with other art forms such as ceramics, smaller paintings and etchings. His work has been recognised in many ways, from his membership of the Academia de las Bellas Artes de San Fernando to the honorary doctorate awarded by the university of his birthplace, Burgos.
One of his many famous works includes the huge mural painted in 1950 at the UN building in New York. His work shows strong influences from Mexican murals.
The Fundación Vela Zanetti, with the collaboration of a group of volunteers from the programme of the Confederación Española de Aulas de la Tercera Edad (Spanish Confederation of Senior Citizen Workshop), runs a daily programme of previously organised guided visits and teaching workshops for groups (minimum 5 and maximum 30 persons).
The guided visits last one hour. Ask for details about the teaching workshop.
OPENING TIMES
Summer (July and August):
- Tuesday to Friday: from 11:00 to 14:00 h. and from 18:00 to 21:00 h.
- Saturday and Sunday: from 18:00 to 21:00 h.
Rest of the year:
- Tuesday to Friday: from 10:00 to 13:30 h. and from 17:00 to 20:00 h.
- Saturday and Sunday: from 17:00 to 20:00 h.