Cayetana. Grande de España opens at Madrid's Palacio de Liria on 1 October 2026 and runs until 31 January 2027. The exhibition brings together more than 200 objects, following a Seville showing that drew 150,000 visitors to the Palacio de las Dueñas. MujerHoy reported that the project marks the centenary of Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart's birth. It looks beyond her title as XVIII Duchess of Alba to her artistic passions, personal relationships and independence.
Palacio de Liria was part of Cayetana de Alba's life, making the building more than a venue: it is part of the family history around her. The display places her private choices alongside the care of one of Spain's major aristocratic collections and the palace's continuing public life.
Seven sections follow her path from childhood, when she was known as "Tanuca," to her succession as Duchess of Alba at 27. They examine the influence of her father, Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, and her work as a painter and collector, as well as her patronage. Opera and cinema feature, as do flamenco and fashion, alongside her international profile and charitable work. El Mundo described the same broad approach. The exhibition moves beyond genealogy into the cultural worlds Cayetana joined.
The research took more than three years. Eugenia Martínez de Irujo and Cristina Carrillo de Albornoz led the work with the Fundación Casa de Alba team, and the foundation organised the exhibition. It presents the result as a family project with a public cultural purpose.
Martínez de Irujo, Cayetana's daughter and one of the curators, has built the display around the woman behind the title. The selection examines Cayetana's view of the world, her passions and affections, and the independence with which she lived. Carrillo de Albornoz focuses on her cosmopolitan outlook and her relationship with the heritage of the Alba family.
The family history is more than a backdrop. The exhibition looks at Luis Martínez de Irujo's role in modernising the Casa de Alba and includes a section on the 70th anniversary of the reconstruction of Palacio de Liria. Duke Jacobo began the work, which Cayetana and Luis completed. The Madrid version also covers the palace's destruction in 1936 and Cayetana's participation in restoring the family residence, as reported by EFE in a story published by Infobae. The display connects this history with how Cayetana protected and modernised the legacy she inherited, while opening it up to the public.
Visitors will see artworks alongside photographs and correspondence, as well as documents. Dresses and personal belongings are also on display. Telemadrid reported that the display fills six rooms, and some objects have never been shown publicly before. The material brings the focus closer to the person who inherited the Casa de Alba's responsibilities and helped take it into a wider international cultural sphere.
General admission costs €20 and includes access to the palace and its historic and artistic collection. Discounts include family packages and options for people born or resident in Madrid. Entry to the exhibition is free on Mondays at 10.00.
The palace opens on Mondays from 10.00 to 12.45. From Tuesday to Sunday, hours are 10.00 to 12.45 and 16.00 to 18.00; the building closes at 19.00. The anniversary exhibition is presented within an active historic residence and alongside its permanent collection.
Palacio de Liria's art and history become easier to read through the life of the woman who inherited them. Cayetana's legacy rests on what she received and on the way she chose to live.
