408 - CRÓNICA TEAM 1964–1981

CRÓNICA TEAM 1964–1981 Rafael Solbes and Manolo Valdés Costume design for *Night of War* at the Prado Museum. 1978 Colored pencils and pencil on paper (19 drawings) One signed (Valdés or Solbes) Some titled and with annotations Dimensions between 44 x 32 cm “Night of War at the Prado Museum,” a text written as a play by the poet and writer Rafael Alberti during his exile in Argentina, was published by Ediciones Losange (Buenos Aires) in 1956. The text has a strong autobiographical element and recalls the night in 1936 when Teresa León and Rafael Alberti—who were members of the Prado Museum’s Board of Seizure and Heritage—guarded the artworks as they were being prepared for evacuation to save them from the bombings. Alberti brings the characters to life from the paintings and evokes historical events by drawing parallels with contemporary Spanish events. In 1978, with the advent of democracy, Ricard Salvat considered staging the play for the first time in Spain, at the Teatro María Guerrero. Equipo Crónica was commissioned as costume designers, and they created numerous drawings, bringing each of the play’s characters to life. This collection of drawings includes some of the designs used.