"Goya - Prophet of the Modern Age" is the first exhibition in a German-speaking country to honor the Spanish master, who lived from 1746 to 1828. It includes works from the Nationalgalerie in Berlin, the Museo del Prado in Madrid, and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, as well as from scores of private owners throughout Europe.

Goya is known for his dark portrayals of the human condition and the horrors of war - and as a chronicler of Spanish history. With over 80 major paintings and a large selection of the artist’s drawings, the exhibition explores how Goya’s work foreshadowed the modern art movement and its practitioners’ profound interest in artistic autonomy.

Among the most important paintings in the exhibition is a self-portrait from 1815, as well as several paintings he created after fighting in the Peninsula War, a major conflict of the Napoleonic Wars.

The rare overview of one of Spain’s greatest painters has drawn rave reviews from art fans, with visitors calling it "fantastic," "phenomenal," and "a great gift."

In the weeks following the exhibition’s July 12 opening, hundreds waited with umbrellas in 90 degree weather to be admitted into the Alte Nationalgalerie on Berlin’s famed Museum Island, which is home to some of the city’s most important collections of 18th- and 19th-century art. Organizers have even compared the event to the New National Gallery’s 2004 MoMA exhibition, although visitor numbers are expected to fall far short of the MoMAnia’s 2.4-million mark. Still, all 900 planned guided tours through the exhibition are sold out.