The Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla opens on 18 November 2026 the exhibition “Juan de Mesa (1583–1627)”. According to the Junta de Andalucía will bring together 47 works by the Sevillian Baroque sculptor. The retrospective is scheduled to run until 7 March 2027 and brings together loans from around thirty institutions, including church bodies, brotherhoods and museums.
The curators arrange the works chronologically and thematically and draw connections between works within the Sevillian Baroque tradition. One focus is the collaboration and influences between Juan de Mesa and his teacher Juan Martínez Montañés. The selection includes major depictions of Christ and the saints, which remain important to public devotion in Andalusia today. Several sculptures normally displayed in churches and brotherhood houses are to be shown at the museum for the duration of the exhibition. According to the organisers, the transfers will be arranged in coordination with lenders and subject to formal approval by the respective bodies.
Alongside the presentation of iconic works, the exhibition has conservation and research aims. Plans include reviewing restoration records, conducting material studies of the wooden sculptures and comparing them with surviving workshop documents. The organisers aim to better understand production processes and questions of attribution. The Museo de Bellas Artes de Seville has highlighted special transport, restoration and insurance arrangements for the delicate loans; detailed coordination with collections from outside the city will continue until the opening.
The exhibition is part of the museum’s annual programme and also marks the 400th anniversary of the artist’s death. By placing sculptures shaped by liturgical use in a museum setting, the exhibition aims to make visible the shift between contexts of meaning: from display in public spaces and in liturgy to a presentation accompanied by scholarly commentary. For Seville, the retrospective offers a rare opportunity to survey Juan de Mesa’s artistic development and his role in the city’s Baroque period in depth.
The Junta de Andalucía emphasises that bringing together the 47 works is possible only thanks to the broad participation of lenders. The museum said it would announce dates, loan lists and further organisational details in the coming days.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).