A Journey Through the Bullfighting Memory of Málaga

Initially, the celebration of bullfighting events was announced by town criers who proclaimed them aloud in the streets. ... This continued until the development and expansion of printing led to the appearance of posters, which, over the decades and centuries, underwent an evolution, infused with the transformation of artistic creation, featuring borders, images, color, and new typography.

This evolution can be seen in the temporary exhibition that opened this Friday at the Immersive Experience Center (CEIT) in La Malagueta under the title 'Paper and Silk: Bullfighting Memory of Málaga,' which gathers fifty bullfighting posters spanning two centuries of the city’s bullfighting history, taking visitors on a journey through time to the bullfighting memory of Málaga from the late 18th century to the last quarter of the 20th century.

The exhibition is organized into thematic blocks: 1796–1876: from the earliest documentary evidence to the inauguration of La Malagueta; 1876–1900: early years of the arena on Paseo de Reding; Golden Age of Bullfighting; Silver Age of Bullfighting; Post-war period up to the 1950s; and the second half of the 20th century, where charity bullfights stand out.

From José Romero to Niño de la Palma

The exhibition includes items from the announcement of the performance of the bullfighter José Romero from Ronda in Málaga in 1796 to a silk poster of the historic head-to-head between Luis Miguel Dominguín and Antonio Ordóñez in 1959 at La Malagueta, through a facsimile of the inaugural event of the current arena in 1876 featuring Rafael Molina 'Lagartijo', Antonio Carmona 'El Gordito', Manuel Fuentes 'Bocanegra', and Manuel Domínguez 'Desperdicios'; the piece that announced in 1900 the novillada with Murube bulls where Algabeño Chico and Gallito participated; or the charity festival organized by the Brotherhood of Jesus El Rico on October 20, 1929 with bulls from Hermanos Gallardo and featuring Victoriano Roger 'Valencia II', Fausto Barajas, Cayetano Ordóñez 'Niño de la Palma', Fermín Espinosa 'Armillita Chico', Paco Perlacia, and the aficionado and breeder Juanito Gallardo.

The posters, mostly signed by artists such as Ruano Llopis, Roberto Domingo, or Ramos Rosas, belong largely to the private collection of Joaquín Millán from Málaga, as well as to the funds of the Provincial Council and other institutions and entities of the city such as the Brotherhood of Jesus El Rico. The exhibition also displays two paintings by Denis Belgrano.

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This exhibition, the first temporary one since the CEIT opened its doors last March, was inaugurated by the president of the Provincial Council of Málaga, Francisco Salado, along with the heads of Toroshopping, the company managing the center, Pedro Gracia and Fabienne Meric, the director of Bullfighting Affairs of the provincial institution, Borja Ortiz, and the curator of the exhibition, Juan Carlos Estrada.

Salado highlighted that the Immersive Experience Center of Bullfighting has expanded the tourist and cultural offerings of the province with a new way of understanding the festival, its history, and how to make it known to citizens through the most advanced technologies, and that it is now "enriched" with this temporary exhibition that will remain open until January 21 from 10 AM to 6 PM.

The exhibition will be open until January 21 and will then tour several cities in the province

This exhibition, which is a prelude to the events that will be held in 2026 on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the inauguration of La Malagueta, will tour five towns in the province, including Ronda, Antequera, and Rincón de la Victoria, once it closes in the capital.

"With this exhibition, we wanted to open the door to the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the inauguration of the bullring of La Malagueta in 2026. Our goal is to extend the celebration throughout the province, bringing this monument, which is protected as a Cultural Heritage Site, to a wider audience. Because La Malagueta is a true symbol of Málaga," Salado added.