Herejes y Herederas

Madrid, Spain

What happens when contemporary painters stop respecting the masters… and start talking back to them?

Oil on canvas

Image credit

Abraham Lacalle Untitled, 2026 © Veta Gallery

Meet the artist

Alex Becerra, Julio Galindo, Abraham Lacalle, Cristina Lama, La Ruman, Matías Sánchez, Santiago Ydáñez

Exhibition Highlights - What you’ll see

This exhibition feels like a conversation across centuries.

The artists reinterpret figures like Diego Velázquez, Francisco de Goya, Pablo Picasso and José Gutiérrez Solana — sometimes through homage, sometimes through rebellion.

You’ll see:

  • Monumental distorted faces by Santiago Ydáñez
  • Raw symbolic landscapes by Abraham Lacalle
  • Explosive color and theatrical figuration from Cristina Lama
  • Surreal mythology and spirituality in Julio Galindo
  • Contemporary pop-culture energy from Matías Sánchez

The result feels visceral, chaotic, irreverent — but deeply connected to Spanish painting history.

Worth the trip

Contemporary figurative painting with influences from Baroque art, Spanish painting traditions, neo-expressionism, surrealism, and contemporary symbolism.

Because this is where you see what happens after the canon.

The exhibition proves that classical painting is not dead — it’s mutating.

And seeing it inside Carabanchel, Madrid’s industrial contemporary art district, makes the experience even stronger.

How to experience it

Ideally visit after the Prado → the references suddenly become obvious

Don’t try to “understand” every piece → react emotionally first

Pay attention to scale → several works are meant to overwhelm you physically

Explore the surrounding Carabanchel galleries afterward → this area is becoming one of Madrid’s most interesting contemporary art zones

Artlovers tip:

This is the kind of show where contemporary art stops feeling distant — and starts feeling alive.

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