On the 110th anniversary of the premiere of Madama Butterfly at the Royal Theatre of Madrid, and coinciding with a new programme of the opera there, the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza is presenting a small exhibition that locates that Spanish premiere in the context of the japaniste vogue which gripped much of the western world in the last third of the 19th century.
Madama Butterfly and the appeal of Japan. Madrid, 1868-1915 intends to bring Puccini’s opera closer to the audience, through fifty paintings, posters, engravings, porcelains, photographs, fashion complements and theatre librettos from the National Museum of Decorative Arts, among other collections.