BEYOND THE PRADO

Book excerpt: "In Beyond the Prado, Selma Reuben Holo argues that Spanish state and regional leaders consciously used the power of museums to foster democratic identity in the country's citizens. In case studies such as the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, the Sephardic Museum in Toledo, and IVAM, the modern and contemporary art museum in Valencia, she tells how museums and their exhibitions have touched off vigorous debates around such issues as Basque autonomy, the relationship of art museums and politics, Catalan identity, and the opposing pull of local and global cultures. Holo chronicles how neglect of the Prado and government acquisition of the renowned Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection have affected Spain's public image and describes the controversies surrounding Picasso's Guernica."--BOOK JACKET.