The Royal Palaces of the Alhambra

More information

Work: Emperor Charles V, n.d., Anonymous, copy of Titian
Exhibition: Los palacios reales de la Alhambra (The Royal Palaces of the Alhambra)
Venues: Palace of Charles V and the Royal Hospital of Granada
Dates: 8 October 2026 – 17 January 2027
Curated by: Rafael López Guzmán and Francisco Sánchez Montes, experts in the Early Modern period and the reign of Charles V, with the support of a scientific committee whose members include Jesús Bermúdez, Juan Antonio Vilar and María Luisa Bellido, among others.

In the summer and autumn of 1526, Granada became the centre of power of the Spanish Monarchy when the city was transformed by the presence of Emperor Charles V and Empress Isabella of Portugal. During these months the University of Granada was founded by imperial decree, the Palace of Charles V was commissioned, the Royal Chancery and Royal Hospital were established, plans were made for the cathedral and regulations were introduced that would determine everyday life in Granada for centuries.

To mark the fifth centenary of these events, the Alhambra and Generalife Trust and the University of Granada are jointly presenting a temporary exhibition that offers a multidisciplinary overview of the period from the sixteenth century to the present day.

The BBVA Collection is participating in the exhibition “Los palacios reales de la Alhambra” (The Royal Palaces of the Alhambra) with the loan of Emperor Charles V, an anonymous copy of the original by Titian, the court painter responsible for establishing the emperor’s official likeness. Copies such as this were the usual means of circulating imperial iconography, spreading the sovereign’s image throughout European palaces and institutions. Their proliferation helps explain how the likeness of Charles V became an emblem of power in the sixteenth century.