The press conference has received the intervention of the trustees of the Juan José Castellano Fundation (JJCC), Paz Zúnica (public notary) and Elena Gandía (technician of museums of Museo del Prado and IVCR+i); Horaci Silva, full university professor of Painting and painter, and Antonio Ariño, vice-principal of Culture and Sport of the Universitat de València.

The Juan José Castellano Comenge Fundation was created in November 2016 to detect and promote talent in the Valencian Community. Moreover, it supports emerging painters and creates a collection of Valencian artists works. At the same time, it aims to contribute with the society participating in social initiatives for the benefit of people at risk of social exclusion. Among the activities of this Fundation is the Biennial, that receives the name of the mother of the collector and president of the Fundation, María Isabel Comenge. She expressed to him her love of the art world. In total, the collection Juan José Castellano Comenge gathers around 145 works of distinguished artists of the 20th century such as Genero Lahuerta, Joaquín Michavila, Francisco Lozano, M. Hernández Mompó, Juan de Ribera Berenguer, Vicente Peris and Horacio Silva. 

A total of 122 artists have joined the first call of the Biennial Painting Mª Isabel Comenge. 16 finalists have been selected. Significantly, most of the 16 selected works are of large format and were made with wide variety of techniques and materials. The variety of painting techniques and artistic language is a result of the freedom of topics that had participants.

The selected works will be available to see in a collective exhibition in the Estudi General Room of the Cultural Centre La Nau of the Universitat de València from 8th May to 1st July. The jury will announce the judgement of the prizes during the opening ceremony of the collective exhibition today, 8th May at 20:00 in the Cultural Centre La Nau. Two prizes will be awarded: the first is worth 15.000 euros and the second prize 7.000 euros, as well as two secondary awards. The awarded works will be included of the Collection of Art of the Juan José Castellano Comenge Fundation.

The jury, that was made public after close the call, has been the responsible to value works and has been composed by distinguised names of the Valencian cultural politic. Horacio Silva, full university professor of Paintinf of the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia and painter, vice-principal of Students, Culture and Sports of the Universitat Politécnica de Valencia; Antonio Ariño, vice-principal of Culture and Sport of the Universitat de València; José Luis Pérez Pont, director of Consorci de Museus of the Valencian Community, Elena Gandía, trustee of the Juan José Castellano Comenge Fundation and technician of museums of Museo del Prado and IVCR+i, and the president of the Fundation, Juan José Castellano Comenge.