ALLEGORIES OF WHAT IS TO COME. Catalogue

Allegories of What Is to Come exhibition catalogue (26 November 2025 – 28 March 2026). 

This exhibition looks back at one of the most significant episodes in the Banco de España's history — the construction in the 1930s of the new extension to its head office on Plaza Cibeles, to a design by architect José Yárnoz Larrosa. It also explores some of the contradictions and tensions of a period in which modernism was seen as both a promised land and a disputed territory.

Combining art, architecture and institutional history, the exhibition documents the way in which the bank sought to use the new facility to project an image of modernity, progress and stability at one of the most convulsive moments in contemporary history. It also highlights the significance of its use of the visual language of Art Deco for the decor and imagery of the design.

Nearly 150 items are on show, including drawings, sketches and original cartoons for the stained-glass windows designed by Maumejean Hermanos for the trading floor — one of two remarkable legacies (along with the gold vault) of Yárnoz Larrosa's design.

The exhibition is curated by the bank's conservator Yolanda Romero and artist, curator and researcher Álvaro Perdices. The catalogue contains extensive information on the artworks, documents and other items on display and there is also a selection of essays exploring in greater depth some of the problems and issues addressed in the exhibition.