Palacio de Montortal acquires first artwork by José Vergara

The Palacio de los Marqueses de Montortal has acquired its first piece of art, the painting ‘Sagrada Familia con San Juanito y Ángeles Músicos’ by José Vergara (1726-1799). The work was purchased for 26,000 euros during an auction held on June 30 by Segre Subastas in Madrid.

The acquisition was facilitated by the Ministry of Culture exercising its right of first refusal on behalf of the Valencia City Council. The move coincides with the 300th anniversary of the Valencian painter's birth. Local officials stated the acquisition aims to recover and promote Vergara’s legacy as a major 18th-century artist and a promoter of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Carlos.

The painting will eventually be exhibited at the Palacio de Montortal, which is set to serve as a second location for the Museo de la Ciudad. Once rehabilitated, the site will house the museum's oldest artistic collections, spanning from the Renaissance to the mid-19th century.