The Peña Taurina is marking its 40th anniversary with a dedicated exhibition showcasing the illustrious Bienvenida family, one of Spain's most prominent bullfighting dynasties. The exhibition will open on 13 November at the Casa de Cultura in Daimiel and will include a variety of memorabilia, costumes, and posters featuring the family’s renowned bullfighters.
In a dual cultural event, the exhibition titled ‘Los Bienvenida: una dinastía de leyenda’ will be inaugurated alongside the 11th edition of the photographic competition ‘Una tarde en imágenes’. Both exhibitions will open at 19:30 local time.
Celebrating a legendary dynasty
The Bienvenida family, whose roots are linked to the town of Bienvenida in the province of Badajoz, boasts a remarkable legacy in bullfighting. Notably, six of the seven siblings, along with their patriarch Manuel Mejías, known as ‘El Papa Negro’, were all bullfighters. This retrospective aims to celebrate the Peña's anniversary in grand style, facilitated by collector Ángel Sonseca Seco, who possesses over 15,000 bullfighting posters.
The exhibition will feature significant items, including bullfighting costumes belonging to Antonio Bienvenida, such as the outfit he wore during his farewell performance at Vistalegre and the white and gold suit associated with the most serious injury of his career, as noted by Paco Córdoba, the Peña's secretary.
Photography competition highlights
Simultaneously, the Casa de Cultura will display 90 photographs submitted for the ‘Una tarde en imágenes’ competition. Córdoba highlighted that this year's entries focused more on the action in the ring, contrasting with previous years that captured pre-fight moments or audience reactions. The top prize was awarded to a photograph by Román Cejudo, depicting El Cid in the crew yard awaiting the start of the event. The award for the most original photograph went to Córdoba himself, featuring fans enjoying their traditional sandwiches in the stands after the third bull.
Both exhibitions will remain open during the Casa de Cultura's regular hours until 27 November, when the competition prizes will be presented. Other winners include Pedro Gutiérrez, who received second prize, and young enthusiast Rodrigo Sánchez-Camacho, who took home third prize.
Upcoming cultural events
The Peña's cultural programme also includes a discussion event on 21 November, where the winner of the previous bullfighting fair will be announced. This year, the honour goes to breeder Julio de la Puerta for the performance of his bulls during the fight on 4 September. The event will feature a significant representation from the Bienvenida family, including Paloma Mejías, daughter of Antonio Bienvenida, Miguel Bienvenida, and bullfighting journalist Gonzalo Bienvenida, moderated by Álvaro Ramos. This gathering is set for the evening of Saturday, 21 November, at the Lady Gema halls, starting at 19:30 hours.
