King and Queen of Spain visit the Museum of Fine Arts and the Center for Molecular Immunology before traveling to Santiago de Cuba
Contramaestre, Nov. 14.- King Felipe VI of Spain, and his wife, Letizia, will visit today the National Museum of Fine Arts of Cuba where they will loan a self-portrait of the 18th century Spanish plastic artist, Francisco de Goya, according to Prensa Latina.
The canvas known as the late self-portrait of a 69-year-old Goya will be on display for a month starting this Thursday, following a special presentation for the kings, who are making an official visit to the island in the context of the Cuban capital’s 500th anniversary celebrations, according to Prensa Latina.
Before travelling to the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba, the Spanish monarchs will today also visit the Center for Molecular Immunology, a closed-cycle biotechnology institution that focuses its basic research on the treatment of cancer and other autoimmune diseases.
This Wednesday, Philip VI awarded Eusebio Leal, historian of Havana, with the Grand Cross of the Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Carlos III, and visited heritage sites in the historical center of this capital.
The Spanish head of state’s broad agenda included talks with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, with whom he spearheaded the signing of the Cuban-Spain 2019-2022 Partnership Framework Agreement on International Development Cooperation.
The monarchs also attended the inauguration of an exhibition of photographs allegorical to relations between the two nations at the Gran Teatro de La Habana Alicia Alonso, which was curated by Prensa Latina and EFE and Iberia, and they attended an artistic gala in their honor.
This is the first official visit of a Spanish king to Cuba; his predecessor, Juan Carlos I, was in Havana in 1999 to participate in that year’s Ibero-American Summit; and in 2016 he did so as king emeritus for the funeral honors of the historic leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro.
Cuba and Spain maintain important economic, commercial, investment and cooperation links, making the European country the island’s third largest trading partner.
(With information from Prensa Latina in Spanish)
Written by Radio Grito de Baire
