The Bank of Spain pays tribute to the architect Eduardo de Adaro (1848-1906), the main author of the entity's headquarters, built at the end of the 19th century, with an exhibition about his figure and his professional career that can be visited starting tomorrow until next February in Madrid.
The exhibition, which seeks to rescue the figure of Adaro from oblivion and highlight his work, is complemented by a monograph written by the professor of Art History Esperanza Guillén, which explains the background and construction process of the building and frames it in the Spanish social and economic reality at a time of profound transformation.
The story tells of the rapid construction of the building, located at the confluence between Paseo del Prado and Alcalá Street, which took place between 1883 and 1891 and had the greatest architectural and technical advances of the time in terms of safety, hygiene , heating, elevators, telephones, lightning rods and electric lighting.
This was explained this Monday by the curators of the exhibition, Esperanza Guillén and Yolanda Arroyo, who also highlighted some characteristics of the bank's architectural style, eclecticism, which reflects the social and economic change that was experienced at the time and the strength of plutocracy versus the old aristocracy.
In this way, the entity left behind the old Madrid, where its original headquarters was located, on Atocha Street, and which was no longer suitable after in 1874, the Minister of Finance, José de Echegaray, promoted a decree law which granted the Bank of Spain the monopoly of the issuance of banknotes throughout Spain.
The Bank of Spain thus became the leading financial power in the country, which required more space to satisfy its new needs, for issuance, storage or representation, which is why a building was needed that combined the palatial and functional characteristics required. .
Guillén's research has given rise to findings of great value to trace the intra-history of the development of the building, such as documentation on work accidents that occurred during the development of the works or the identification of the typologies of hygienic facilities used, selected in function of the hierarchy of those who would be its users.
He also located original sketches of ornamental elements such as the Symbolist-style stained glass windows made by the Mayer House in Munich (Germany), while discovering what today can be considered the first photograph of the building under construction, with some parts covered by tarps. advertising, undoubtedly one of the first in history.
The exhibition brings together a set of documents, objects and works of art that bring part of the artistic and documentary heritage of the Bank of Spain closer to society, the entity explains in a note.
In it you can see everything from paintings by Joaquín Sorolla or Carlos Luis de Ribera to decorative and technological pieces of various kinds, including a selection of photographs that show works from the beginnings of documentary art, in the last quarter of the 19th century, along with the of other contemporary photographers who have contributed to the renewal of this genre.
A series of technological and functional objects are also shown, including the electric arc lamps that were installed in the Cibeles building or an elegant Victorian-style toilet designed by the Doulton House, safe boxes, electric bells or primitive telephone devices and lightning rod.
But Eduardo de Adaro's mark cannot only be seen in the Cibeles building, since his creativity and deep knowledge of the technical and construction innovations of his time, as well as credit functions, were also applied in several branches of the Bank. of Spain and in the main building of the Banco Hispano Americano, located in the current Plaza de Canalejas in Madrid.
