An exhibition at Palacio de Liria in Madrid puts Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart's role in rebuilding the palace at the centre of a show marking the centenary of her birth. 'Cayetana. Grande de España' runs until 31 January 2027 and brings together more than 200 artworks, photographs, letters, documents, dresses and personal objects.
Only the four façades of Palacio de Liria survived the Spanish Civil War intact. Inside, the building was almost completely destroyed. The Casa de Alba also lost 50% of its library and almost 90% of its archives.
RTVE identifies the palace's recovery as the exhibition's basic story. For Cayetana, rebuilding it was more than a family duty: she saw it as her most valued contribution to the history of the house.
During the Civil War, part of the Casa de Alba’s cultural heritage was evacuated first to Valencia and later to Geneva, along a route comparable to the one taken by works from the Museo del Prado, RTVE reported.
That history gives the exhibition its force.
Fundación Casa del Alba organised the show to mark the centenary of Cayetana's birth and the 70th anniversary of the rebuilding of Palacio de Liria. It occupies six rooms, with a different layout from the earlier presentation at Dueñas in Seville.
The curatorial team remains unchanged. Eugenia Martínez de Irujo and Cristina Carrillo de Albornoz oversee both versions. The Madrid presentation opened on 30 September and 1 October 2026 and is scheduled to remain open through 31 January 2027.
The selection follows themes rather than a strict timeline. Visitors first see two equestrian paintings by Zuloaga together for the first time. One shows Cayetana riding her pony Tommy in 1930, with a small Mickey Mouse detail in the painting. The other depicts her as a teenager in country clothes on a white horse.
From there, the show turns to the person behind the title. Family photographs cover her childhood and youth, as well as her father, godfather and wedding. Other images place her with people she admired, including Montserrat Caballé and Sophia Loren.
The photographs also show her on trips, with her dogs and with her five children. They capture her spontaneity.
Eugenia Martínez de Irujo said the family had struggled to sort through the enormous volume of photographs and documents. She called public affection for her mother the greatest legacy Cayetana left behind.
Another section presents Cayetana as a patron of the arts and a creative figure in her own right. It includes sculptures by Benlliure, a wax-crayon drawing she made as a child, flamenco dresses and photographs by Juan Gyenes and Richard Avedon.
Her letters to Jacqueline Kennedy extend the story beyond Spain. One object on display is a watercolour Kennedy painted of a room at Dueñas during her stay there.
The exhibition also traces Cayetana's role in expanding and caring for the Casa de Alba collections. It adds detail to an earlier Madrid report without reducing her to public appearances or aristocratic ceremony.
The reconstruction room offers the clearest historical record. Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, the XVII Duke of Alba, decided in 1942 to rebuild Liria after completing his term as Spain's ambassador in London. He contacted the British architect Edward Luytens, and construction began in 1952.
The work was completed in 1956. Jacobo died in 1953, and Cayetana carried the project forward with her husband, Luis Martínez de Irujo.
Plans, drawings and photographs document the process. The work covered the building's interiors as well as its architecture. It also required the collections to be reorganised and furniture and decorative objects to be found across several European countries.
A seven-minute film shows the palace before, during and after the reconstruction. Cayetana explains why she considered Liria a legacy for Madrid.
The final room turns to style. Dresses by Givenchy, Tony Benítez, Lucchino, Hermanas Morales and Dior show how Cayetana became an international fashion reference while remaining attached to tradition.
Assouline published 'Cayetana, la duquesa de Alba: Arte, Aristocracia y el alma de España' as the exhibition catalogue.
