Casa de Velazquez, Madrid
Directed by Rogier van Eck

26 MIN
BETA DIGITAL (16/9)

Original version available
with English or French commentary
 
documentary – lifestyle – surroundings – art – culture
– society – history – nature – work – everyday life

SYNOPSIS

The “Casa de Velazquez” is a French academy abroad, in the same vein as the Academy of France in Rome (the Medici villa). Inaugurated in 1929 on a site facing the Guadarrama Sierra – where the painter Velazquez loved to place his easel – it was destroyed during the Spanish civil war in 1936 – the castle was in the first line of fire during the battle of Madrid. It was reconstructed in 1958 on its original site near the City University. The mission of Casa de Velazquez is to develop creative activities and to undertake research related to the arts, languages, literature and the Spanish civilisations and the Iberian world. It has also as a mission to contribute to the training of teachers, researchers, artists and to participate in the development of artistic and scientific exchanges between France and the Iberian countries. For two years 18 researchers will reside there and at the same time its artistic section hosts 13 artists (painters, sculpturers, engravers, architects, composers, film-makers, photographers…) on scholarships from the City of Paris and large Spanish cities. Every year they organise a programme of scientific and artistic demonstrations. The Casa de Velazquez consists of a main building which shelters the administrative buildings, the library (80,000 volumes), a restaurant and 25 rooms. Besides these there are fifteen workshops for artists, spread out around the bordering beautiful park as well as various technical rooms (music studios, photography labs, engraving workshops…) Not only is the Casa de Velazquez homogeneous but also diverse, a place of creativity, of freedom, of reflection, a piece of history haunted by a some large cultural figures.

CREDITS

Directed by : Rogier van Eck
Script : Rogier van Eck
Mister Kaleidoscope was written and acted by Marc-Henri Wajnberg
Image : Jean-Paul De Zaeytijd
Editing : Dominique Lefever
Sound : Damien Defays

INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION

Wajnbrosse Productions
Video cassette available on request Contact-us

PRODUCTION

ARTE France
Panic Productions
Wajnbrosse Productions

With the support of
Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) ,
Ministère de la Communauté Française de Belgique et des Télédistributeurs Wallons

REFERENCES

Revue annuelle "Mélanges" de la Casa de Velazquez.
Des palais en Espagne. L' école des hautes études hispaniques et la Casa de Vélazquez
au coeur des relations franco-espagnoles du XXe siècle (1898-1979) de Jean-Marc Delaunay
Editions : Bibliothèque de la Casa de Velazquez, Madrid, 1994.

LINKS

Casa de Vélazquez : info@casadevelazquez.org
Direction : directeur@cvz.es
Office du tourisme Espagno : bruselas@tourspain.es