PLAN DE HUIDA

Year 1937.
In view of the continuous air strikes that Madrid suffers at the hands of the rebellious side, the Republican government, concerned about protecting the integrity of the works of art housed in the Prado Museum, decides to move the paintings to the city of Valencia. There they will be catalogued, restored and stored in the Church of the Patriarch and the Serranos Towers, before they can continue their journey to Geneva.
Mrs. Claramunt, a Valencian businesswoman, worried about the possible loss of the war by the Republican government, is looking for a way for her, her workers and their families to leave Spain safely. But the plan requires a large amount of money. How to finance the escape? With a robbery.

Among the paintings transferred from El Prado is the Mona Lisa, one of Leornardo da Vinci’s versions of the Gioconda.
Getting the painting will be complicated, but not impossible. They just have to involve the right people.

But the war is going on and they are running out of time.

Year 2021.
The renowned art historian José María Ledesma concludes his lecture on the evacuation of artworks from the Prado Museum by the Republic Government during the Civil War. A civilian convoy traversed a country at war to safeguard thousands of Spanish heritage treasures. The paintings left Madrid, arrived in Valencia where they were protected and restored; the war then forced them to move to Catalonia, and finally, they crossed the border to reach their ultimate destination in Geneva.

A journey that saved nearly 2,000 works of art from the bombs.

After finishing the conference, a stranger discreetly approaches Ledesma to ask him: “Did any of the evacuated pieces from the Prado disappear?” Ledesma, surprised, responds firmly in the negative. The stranger suggests, “It is very likely that such a disappearance did occur, and I have evidence that could prove it.”

Later in private, the misterious man shows Ledesma evidence of the possible theft of the Mona Lisa (one of the versions of the Gioconda created by Leonardo da Vinci’s studio). Ledesma is taken aback. “Assuming these proofs are reliable… Where is this leading? And who the devil are you?” The stranger introduces himself as Juan Barnier. Ledesma startles; he knows him. Barnier is a treasure hunter with few scruples, well-known for his less-than-honest methods.

“What do you want?” Barnier appeals to the investigator within Ledesma. The potential discovery of the whereabouts of a stolen artwork. To recover it for the Prado, for the world. To bask in the laurels, success, and fame of such a revelation.

Ledesma is wary of him, but Barnier has him well-trapped. He knows Ledesma will delve into the past to uncover the truth.

 – The album will narrate the transfer of the National Historical Heritage from the areas most affected by the bombings of the Spanish Civil War to safer locations in Valencia, Barcelona, and its final destination in Geneva.
 – The success of this artistic journey was praised at the time and later served as a model for other countries during World War II.

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