Realism usually refers to attempts to represent subjects in a precise and truthful manner. However, here, the "realism" of Spanish art is not about technique — it's about artists finding the best way to portray what they see as "real."
This is an obsession among Spanish artists that continues to day, where even fantasy and the surreal feature in works that reveal the difficulties of life and the inevitability of death.
According to the poet Federico García Lorca, "In Spain the dead are more alive than the dead of any other country in the world."
This exhibition showcases 27 artists through works on loan from the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León (MUSAC), with the focus on Spanish pieces from the 1990s to today; Feb. 15-May 11.
Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo; 4-1-1 Miyoshi, Koto-ku, Tokyo. Kiyosumishirakawa Stn. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. ¥1,100. Closed Mon. 03-5245-4111; www.mot-art-museum.jp
