12,269 people visited the exhibition about Joaquín Vaquero Palacios, turning it into one of the most popular in Madrid's ICO Museum recent history, the only one in Spain dedicated exclusively to architecture.

Joaquín Vaquero Palacios (Oviedo, 1900-Madrid, 1998), was an architect, painter and sculptor who approached the creative process in a global way. This exhibition showecased the fruit of thirty years of collaboration with Hidroeléctrica del Cantábrico (today EDP) materialized in five Asturian power plants conceived as works of art.

The exhibition, curated by the artist's grandson and also architect, Joaquín Vaquero Ibáñez, toured the work done by Vaquero Palacios in the power plants of Salime (1945-1955) - one of the best examples of Spanish industrial architecture ascribed to the Modern Movement, Miranda (1956-62), Proaza (1964-68), Aboño (1969-1980) and Tanes (1980).

Murals, sculptures, furniture, industrial design - alone or with the collaboration of his son, Joaquín Vaquero Turcios, also an architect and artist - and even architecture, make Vaquero Palacios a versatile artist who was able to transform the enormous structures of these power plants in authentic industrial cathedrals of the twentieth century.

The majority of the public of the service of guided visits came from associations and cultural centers, although some specialized groups of universities, associations of architecture and other educational entities have also attended. It highlights the great affluence of Asturian public and the slight increase of both foreign public and technical profiles, especially engineers. Foreign architecture students, especially from England, also attended.

The exhibition fulfilled its aspiration to bring to light the most outstanding industrial heritage and, at the same time, the most unknown Spanish art. And it made known to the public the versatile work that Vaquero Palacios carried out in Hidroeléctrica del Cantábrico, today EDP. In fact, the central Proaza, designed entirely by Vaquero palaces, experienced a rebound in the requests for visits.

Those interested in knowing the EDP ts can request a visit through the visit program of the EDP andation, which covers all the production centers of the company. Each year, more than 3,000 people visit these facilities.