The Foundation Amelia Moreno in Quintanar de la Orden (Toledo) is an independent, non-profit institution dedicated to promoting contemporary art through its exhibitions and other activities, including its annual “Encounters”. The conservation and promotion of the artistic legacy of its founder, the painter Amelia Moreno, is its other main objective.
The Foundation is located in the “Espacio-Arte El Dorado”, a wing of the old «El Dorado» liquor factory. Organized by the Board of Trustees, the Foundation’s activities receive the support of the Quintanar City Council and other institutions. For the spring-summer season, one or two monographic exhibitions are presented, and in the fall, the “Encuentros”, collective exhibitions programmed together with concerts, poetry readings, lectures, creative workshops and other events, as well as organized visits for students from local schools and other groups. The Foundation collaborates with other cultural activities in the town, such as its annual La Mancha International Music Festival.
In programming its exhibitions, the Foundation is committed to presenting a diversity of sensibilities and perspectives, including voices from different generations and different origins, united in their rigor and in their spirit of experimentation. Since its inception, the Foundation has placed particular emphasis on presenting the works of creative women from all disciplines. Beginning in 2019, the Encounters have included the work of artists studying at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Cuenca. Other monographic exhibitions focus on artists from the region, on new views on the work of Amelia Moreno, etc. The series of books «Enfoques» present these exhibitions and other topics in the field of the Foundation’s interests.
The “El Dorado” factory is an example of Quintanar’s mid-20th century industrial patrimony. Together with its outdoor garden, it forms a complex with a very particular character that invites artists to enter into a dialogue with it through their works. Every year, the Foundation invites an artist to intervene on the 24 large “tinajas” or wine vats that are preserved in the main nave of the factory, while the garden lends itself to installations and «performances». Artistic interventions have also been organized in other parts of the town.
From their inception, the Foundation’s exhibitions have established themselves as major events in the region’s cultural calendar. As can be seen in the index of this website, many well-known artists have participated in them. In addition, the exhibitions have served many participants as an important achievement in advancing their professional careers. And there are few new cultural initiatives that have appeared in different parts of the country, and even abroad, that have taken the Foundation as a model of inspiration.
The Espacio-Arte El Dorado opened its doors for the first time in 2004, under the personal direction of Amelia Moreno. The Foundation was established in 2007, incorporating a permanent collection of Amelia’s work and an archive documenting her professional career. With these resources, the Foundation has collaborated with various institutions organizing exhibitions on Amelia Moreno and her work, such as the retrospective at the Museo Santa Cruz of Toledo, Spain in 2017.