In Obra maestra (Masterpiece), Juan Tallón tells a true story: the disappearance of a 38-ton sculpture acquired by the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid. How can something so massive vanish in plain sight? Through a combination of real and fictional testimonies, the novel weaves a narrative that is both tragic and humorous—not only about the art world, but also about Spanish society and a particular era.

As part of the International Literature Week in Shanghai, the Instituto Cervantes of Shanghai, with the support of Writers Publishing House, presents a conversation on the art world and its fictions between the Spanish writer and Liu Huatong, poet and curator.