Politika, April 2, 2015
MADRID TALKS
Crown is in Europe’s genes
Juan Luna, co-director of the Prado Museum, sees monarchies as the salvation for Europe and its unity
From our special correspondent
Madrid – All professions have lost their reputation, and journalists and judges are the two professions in which today’s inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula believe the least. The dictates of the market and democracy deficit have smashed many institutions, but the Spanish monarchy did great throughout this whirlwind. The tsunami only grazed the Court, and the young king Felipe the Sixth and the former TV journalist Queen Letitia enjoy uncommon appreciation in these turbulent times.
When I went, with delight, to a meeting with the academician Juan Luna, the head of the Prado 18th century art department, I did not expect this professor and philosopher to so harshly criticize the museum which houses one of the most important collections of European art from the 12th through 19th century, in which the visitor can admire for hours the canvases of Goya, Diego Velázquez, El Greco, Titian… and even less was on my mind that this expert on Goya and Velazquez could with so much conviction talk about the decisive role of monarchy for the Europe’s future.
As soon as they arrived in Paris, their first official state visit since they took over the throne, King Felipe the Sixth and Queen Letitia decided to discontinue their journey and return to Madrid due to the news about the “German Wings” plane crash and the death of dozens of Spanish citizens. The Royal Couple was supposed to be at the opening of a large Velazquez exhibition in Paris, but due to an accident, this artistic feast passed without the presence of their Majesties.
Professor Juan Luna knows Felipe and Letitia from a long time ago.
“They are serious, balanced, their importance for Spain is huge, I am sure that Felipe the Sixth will play a major role for the unity of Europe”. Luna is convinced monarchists and has his explanation:
“Every king is coming from the distant past, it is a line that cannot be interrupted. Crown belongs to king by his birth, president of republic is elected by one nation or one party. And he will always be biased. King, on the other hand, thinks of everything, the whole country. He is the balance, a centre, and that is important for culture and progress of the whole nation”, says Professor Luna. Spanish academician expects “Felipe the Sixth to be major European king”. He is the successor to the Spanish King Juan Carlos and the Greek-Danish Princess. “Europe is in his genes just as Europe carries monarchy in its genes”, explicitly says Juan Luna.
If after World War II, Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria and Italy had not renounced monarchy, in his opinion, they would have done better.
And if the Eastern European countries after the fall of the Berlin Wall had gone back to monarchies, it would have been easier for them to successfully pass through transition.
Although he is one of the big bosses in the Prado, Juan Luna sharply criticized the museum and is afraid it might lose his soul.
“It aims at themed spectacles, the role of science is being subjected to it” says the head of a department in the Prado, so that the “relocation of Goya’s canvases from the third floor to the ground floor, becomes a separate exhibition”.
He does not like the fact that the ticket to the Prado now has to be paid 18 euros and in the nineties admission to the most famous Spanish museum was free. “The spiritual heritage should be accessible to all, the concept of the museum is to be visited several times, to get back to it whenever you want”.
When it comes to monarchy, even the Podemos, a new political force ready to challenge the party caste and petrified state institutions, does not want to challenge the Court. The Podemos leaders confirmed these days they have not yet made their position on the monarchy, they do not yet know whether they will, if they come to power, advocate that Spain should become a republic.
Meanwhile, Pablo Iglesias, as the general secretary of the party that aspires to win power in elections later this year, requested an audience with the King. He has not yet received any response from the Court. From the Podemos’ past rhetoric it is clear that even this party does not want to interfere with the “European monarchical genetics”. Nor does it aim to take Spain out of the EU, although the traditional parties accuse it of trying to isolate the Iberian Peninsula. On the contrary, as it has repeatedly been confirmed by the Podemos leaders, their goal is to “return Europe to democracy” and rescue it from the party caste. Monarchy is somehow not mentioned when they speak about the elites, as if they agree with Juan Luna that this is the line that in this era of broken links should not be broken.
Zorana Suvakovic