VISITING THE REINA SOFIA: FEMINISM THROUGH ART

By Virginia Burke

University of Mississipi

This past Saturday the Legal Studies group visited The Reina Sofia museum and specifically a new exhibit on feminism. Though this was my first visit to the museum I am quite accustomed to The Reina Sofia library where I like to go to study on days that I do not have class. The Reina Sofia building itself is very impressive. With glass elevators and marble floors the structure itself is immense.

The art gallery for the feminism exhibit was equally impressive and I was amazed by the breadth and depth of the works shown. With rooms that profiled the roles of women throughout many ages the art was very thought provoking.  This fit perfectly with the law theme for the week, gender based violence. In Spain violent acts committed based on gender discrimination qualify as crimes against the state because they are violations of fundamental rights. Spain’s progressive stance on the status of the gender equality has led to massive changes in the abuse of women which is one of the most prevalent and hidden crimes that exists in Spain and the world.

Tackling cultural ideals of “machismo” or male dominance, Spain aggressively punishes males who abuse females. Victims are provided with resources to start new lives after abuse and the state works hard to educate its’ citizens about the dangers and penalties associated with gender based crimes. With these new laws and a general trend toward gender equality in Spain the status of women has changed a lot over the past few years.

The Reina Sofia chronicled this change very effectively demonstrating the movement from women in a subservient role to women in a more powerful position. While I was struck by the great disparity between male and female artists that were featured in the museum, perhaps this is just a reflection of the time it takes for an artist or painting to become famous. If the number of women that now work in academia and become judges in Spain today we can expect to see many more artworks of women in the future.