exhibitions
Manuel Bartolomé Cossío (1857-1935) was one of the most prominent educators and Art historians of his time in Europe. He occupies an important place in the modernization programme of the Institución de Libre Enseñanza (ILE).
He was the main and closest of Francisco Giner de los Ríos disciples and continued his duty at the head of the ILE after his death in 1915. In 1916 he inaugurated the Foundation that was named after his master, in order to preserve the tangible and intellectual heritage of the ILE as well as its continuity. Francisco Giner de los Ríos Foundation identifies itself since then with the ILE and its proposal to improve the Spanish Society through education and the study of Science.
This exhibition about Manuel B. Cossío is aimed to make known his intellectual legacy and honour him in the year that commemorates, thanks to his own initiative, the century of the creation of the Francisco Giner de los Ríos Foundation.
The life and works of Cossío cannot be detached from his active educational alternative in which integral education is prioritized upon schooling, in which the love for Science constitutes the main basis and in which the process of knowledge is indivisible from the enjoyment of the aesthetics (being the latter morally imperative). The role of the institutionalists - especially Cossío's- on constructing the History of Art as a scientific discipline is set over this solid ground. This construction is closely related to the aesthetic conception set by Krausism and also in the words of Cossío quoting Giner, with the concern for the mobilization of "the soul of the entire people" which will lead to relevant initiatives like the Extensión Universitaria of Oviedo or the Misiones Pedagógicas.
Cossío's discovery and revaluation of El Greco belongs to this new lecture of the Spanish tradition made with the rigorous scientific demands of Institutionalism, having as a result a fundamental book, which was the starting point in the studies of the aforementioned artist and that is still of mandatory reference. The very core of this exhibition revolves around this book, thus its background, Cossío's sources, some examples of the research work and its acceptance not only in Spain but also out of the country, are displayed.
Finally, part of the exhibition is devoted to Toledo. Not only for being a cultural melting pot, but also for being a blending of tradition and avant-garde, represented by the young creators of the Residencia de Estudiantes. Toledo has also become a symbol of the liberal Spain and a must visit place for the international correspondents of Institutionalism.
THE ART OF KNOWING HOW TO LOOK AT
Manuel B. Cossío, the Institución Libre de Enseñanza and El Greco
Manuel Bartolomé Cossío (1857-1935) was one of the most prominent educators and Art historians of his time in Europe. He occupies an important place in the modernization programme of the Institución de Libre Enseñanza (ILE).
He was the main and closest of Francisco Giner de los Ríos disciples and continued his duty at the head of the ILE after his death in 1915. In 1916 he inaugurated the Foundation that was named after his master, in order to preserve the tangible and intellectual heritage of the ILE as well as its continuity. Francisco Giner de los Ríos Foundation identifies itself since then with the ILE and its proposal to improve the Spanish Society through education and the study of Science.
This exhibition about Manuel B. Cossío is aimed to make known his intellectual legacy and honour him in the year that commemorates, thanks to his own initiative, the century of the creation of the Francisco Giner de los Ríos Foundation.
The life and works of Cossío cannot be detached from his active educational alternative in which integral education is prioritized upon schooling, in which the love for Science constitutes the main basis and in which the process of knowledge is indivisible from the enjoyment of the aesthetics (being the latter morally imperative). The role of the institutionalists - especially Cossío's- on constructing the History of Art as a scientific discipline is set over this solid ground. This construction is closely related to the aesthetic conception set by Krausism and also in the words of Cossío quoting Giner, with the concern for the mobilization of "the soul of the entire people" which will lead to relevant initiatives like the Extensión Universitaria of Oviedo or the Misiones Pedagógicas.
Cossío's discovery and revaluation of El Greco belongs to this new lecture of the Spanish tradition made with the rigorous scientific demands of Institutionalism, having as a result a fundamental book, which was the starting point in the studies of the aforementioned artist and that is still of mandatory reference. The very core of this exhibition revolves around this book, thus its background, Cossío's sources, some examples of the research work and its acceptance not only in Spain but also out of the country, are displayed.
Finally, part of the exhibition is devoted to Toledo. Not only for being a cultural melting pot, but also for being a blending of tradition and avant-garde, represented by the young creators of the Residencia de Estudiantes. Toledo has also become a symbol of the liberal Spain and a must visit place for the international correspondents of Institutionalism.
December 1st, 2016 — March 23rd, 2017
INSTITUCIÓN LIBRE DE ENSEÑANZA
Paseo del General Martínez 14, 28010 Madrid
Free entry. Mon-Sat 11-20 h Sun & Hols 11-15 h.
