National Exhibition of Fine Arts (Spain)

The National Exhibitions of Fine Arts (Exposiciones Nacionales de Bellas Artes) were exhibitions of fine arts held in Spain and especially in Madrid from the mid-19th century onwards. It was structured around a competition. The competition was set up by a royal decree of Isabella II on 28 December 1853 and the first show was in 1856. It was the main official show of Spanish art by living artists. It was initially structured around five sections (painting, sculpture, engraving, architecture and decorative art), though the Painting section was the most important one, closely followed by Sculpture and Architecture. The last show was in 1968.