“In those days, in Valladolid, there came a sailor fleeing from Portugal... called Ferdinand Magellan..." Thus did Bartolome de las Casas recount events in 1518 at the Spanish court that led to one of the greatest achievements in human history, the first circumnavigation of the world Earth, which was achieved over a thousand days from September 20, 1519 to September 8, 1522.
With that sense of human drama and adventure awaiting an eager viewer, the Embassy of Spain in the Philippines, with the National Museum of the Philippines, presents The Longest Journey: The First Journey Around the World. The exhibition opens to the public on the 4th floor galleries of the National Museum of Fine Arts from Thursday, March 24, 2022. First launched in 2019, the original and unabridged exhibition was on view at the Archivo General de Indias in Seville, Spain, the world's most important archives of documents on the ages of discovery, conquest and colonial administration across the whole Spanish Empire, including the Philippines. Commemorating the quincentennial of this circumnavigation, the exhibition was curated by a team headed by Antonio Fernández Torres, and organized by Acción Cultural Española and Spain's Ministry of Culture and Sports. It highlighted the entire route of the voyage, described as “not only the greatest maritime adventure of all time, but a major milestone in the history of discoveries", through a display of objects and artifacts, along with priceless documents preserved at the Archivo General de Indias and other important archives, libraries and museums. A comprehensive exhibition catalogue in Spanish, featuring scholarly essays and references, may be accessed and downloaded for free at https://www.accioncultural.es/es/el-viaje-mas-largo-ebook. Over the last two years, a travelling version of The Longest Journey has been featured in many places around the world. The Embassy of Spain, in collaboration with The National Museum of the Philippines, is very proud to create its adaptation where the Ambassador of Spain, Jorge Moragas Sanchez, has contributed directly to it as a special guest curator. This collaboration builds on a very productive partnership that has existed for many years, and which has facilitated the presentation of many exhibitions at the National Museum of the Philippines that have in the past decade included Pacífico: Spain and the Adventure of the South Sea (2013-2014) and Flavors that Sail Across the Seas (2016-2017). This abridged exhibition presents the circumnavigation in 14 sections, together with high-quality facsimiles of some original archival documents, including the contract made between Carlos I and Ferdinand Magellan. The centerpiece of the main gallery is a model of the Victoria, the only ship out of the inaugural five to return back to Spain. This model was brought from Spain with a replica of the Monument to Magellan erected in Manila in 1848, which was destroed in 1945. Four screens also display audio-visual presentations from the original exhibition. The Embassy of Spain in the Philippines and the National Museum of the Philippines worked with the Spanish curatorial team to present details that will not be found in any other version of The Longest Journey, in Spain or worldwide. These include a number of special archaeological, ethnographic and devotional art objects and natural history specimens of flora and fauna chosen from the collections of the National Museum and the Intramuros Administration to evoke the sense of discovery and encounter that must have been experienced by Magellan and his crew upon their arrival and through their time in the archipelago, as well as the legacy of their voyage for Filipinos later and today. Intrinsic to the Philippine part of the first circumnavigation of the globe are the major events that continue to exist in the popular memory of Filipinos – the blood compacts, the first masses, the erection of crosses, the first Christian conversions and baptisms, the presentation of the Santo Niño, the Battle of Mactan and the death of Magellan, together with lesser-known events that have been very well highlighted by the research, programs, projects and myriad activities of the National Quincentennial Commission and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. In addition to The Longest Journey, the National Museum of the Philippines is also featuring, in its commemoration of the Philippine part of the first circumnavigation of the world. In the hallway gallery immediately outside the exhibition of The Longest Journey, unique works of art, specifically: a pair of fine mid-19th century portraits in oil of Ferdinand Magellan and Sebastian Elcano that were commissioned in 1856 from Manila by Margarita Roxas de Ayala and painted by an unknown artist in Madrid; the historical painting Ang Wakas ni Magallanes (The Death of Magellan) by National Artist Fernando Amorsolo, and seven episodes of Spanish-Filipino encounters reimagined by artist Roderick Macutayand. The Embassy of Spain in the Philippines and the National Museum of the Philippines express appreciation and gratitude to their media friends and partners for their interest and strong support. |