Museo del Prado
Established | 1819 |
---|---|
Location | Paseo del Prado, Madrid, Spain |
Type | Art museum, Historic site |
Visitors | 852,161 (2020)[1] Ranked 13th globally (2023)[2] |
Director | Miguel Falomir[3] |
Public transit access | |
Website | museodelprado.es |
Architect | Juan de Villanueva |
Official name | Museo Nacional del Prado |
Type | Non-movable |
Criteria | Monument |
Designated | 1962 |
Reference no. | RI-51-0001374 |
The Prado Museum (/ˈprɑːdoʊ/ PRAH-doh; Spanish: Museo del Prado [muˈseo ðel ˈpɾaðo]), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th century, based on the former Spanish royal collection, and the single best collection of Spanish art. Founded as a museum of paintings and sculpture in 1819, it also contains important collections of other types of works. The numerous works by Francisco Goya, the single most extensively represented artist, as well as by Hieronymus Bosch, El Greco, Peter Paul Rubens, Titian, and Diego Velázquez, are some of the highlights of the collection. Velázquez and his keen eye and sensibility were also responsible for bringing much of the museum's fine collection of Italian masters to Spain, now one of the largest outside of Italy.
The collection currently comprises around 8,200 drawings, 7,600 paintings, 4,800 prints, and 1,000 sculptures, in addition to many other works of art and historic documents. As of 2012, the museum displayed about 1,300 works in the main buildings, while around 3,100 works were on temporary loan to various museums and official institutions. The remainder were in storage.[4]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 attendance plunged by 76 percent to 852,161. Nonetheless, the Prado was ranked as the 16th most-visited museum in the list of most-visited art museums in the world in 2020.[5] It is one of the largest museums in Spain.
The Prado, with the nearby
History
The building that is now the home of the Museo Nacional del Prado was designed in 1785 by architect of the
The first catalogue of the museum, published in 1819 and solely devoted to Spanish painting, included 311 paintings, although at that time the museum housed 1,510 from the various royal residences, the Reales Sitios, including works from other schools. The exceptionally important royal collection, which forms the nucleus of the present-day Museo del Prado, started to increase significantly in the 16th century during the time of
In addition to works from the
Upon the deposition of
Between 1873 and 1900, the Prado helped decorate city halls, new universities, and churches. During the
The main building was enlarged with short pavilions in the rear between 1900 and 1960. The next enlargement was the incorporation of two buildings (nearby but not adjacent) into the institutional structure of the museum: the
In 1993, an extension proposed by the Prado's director at the time, Felipe Garin, was quickly abandoned after a wave of criticism.[8] In the late 1990s, a $14 million roof work forced the Velázquez masterpiece Las Meninas to change galleries twice.[9] In 1998, the Prado annex in the nearby Casón del Buen Retiro closed for a $10 million two-year overhaul that included three new underground levels. In 2007, the museum finally executed Rafael Moneo's project to expand its exposition room to 16,000 square meters, hoping to increase the yearly number of visitors from 1.8 million to 2.5 million.
A glass-roofed and wedge-shaped foyer now contains the museum's shops and cafeteria, removing them from the main building to make more room for galleries.[9] The 16th-century Cloister of Jerónimo has been removed stone by stone to make foundations for increased stability of surrounding buildings and will be re-assembled in the new museum's extension. Hydraulic jacks had to be used to prevent the basement walls from falling during construction. [10] The enlargement is an underground building which connects the main building to another one entirely reconstructed.
In November 2016, it was announced that British architect
Historic structure
The Prado Museum building is one of the buildings constructed during the reign of
The prado ("meadow") that was where the museum now stands gave its name to the area, the Salón del Prado (later
The next renovations that this museum will undergo will be conducted by British architect Norman Foster. This renovation was approved in June 2020 and is expected to take a minimum of four years.[15]
Collection highlights
Selected works
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Andrea Mantegna, Death of the Virgin, c. 1461
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Antonello da Messina, The Dead Christ Supported by an Angel, c. 1475
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Albrecht Dürer Self-portrait, 1498
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Albrecht Dürer Adam and Eve, 1507
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Fernando Yáñez de la Almedina, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, c. 1510
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Raphael, Portrait of a Cardinal, c. 1510–11
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Joachim Patinir, Landscape with Charon Crossing the Styx, c. 1515–1524
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Tintoretto, Christ Washing the Disciples' Feet, c. 1518
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Correggio, Noli me tangere, c. 1525
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Titian, Bacchanal of the Andrians, c. 1523–1526
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Titian, Equestrian Portrait of Charles V, c. 1548
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Titian, La Gloria (Titian), c. 1554
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Titian, The Fall of Man, c. 1570
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El Greco, Holy Trinity (El Greco), 1577–1579
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Paolo Veronese, Venus and Adonis, c. 1580
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Caravaggio, David and Goliath, 1600
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Georges de La Tour, Ciego tocando la zanfonía, 1610–1630
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Guido Reni, Hipómenes y Atalanta, 1618–19
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The Adoration of the Shepherds (El Greco, Madrid), 1577–1579
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Gaspar de Crayer, Caritas Romana, c. 1625
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Nicolas Poussin, Parnassus, c. 1630–31
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Diego Velázquez, The Surrender of Breda, 1634–35
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Diego Velázquez, Mars Resting, 1639–1641
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José de Ribera, Jacob's Dream, 1639
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The Judgement of Paris, 1638–39
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Claude Lorrain El embarque de santa Paula, 1639–40
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Agnus Dei, 1635–1640
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Francisco de Zurbarán, Still Life with Pots, c. 1650
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Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, The Immaculate Conception, 1767
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Francisco Goya, The Dog, 1819–1823
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Francisco Goya, Saturn Devouring His Son, 1819–1823
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Paul Baudry, The Pearl and the Wave, 1862
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Antonio Gisbert Pérez, Execution of Torrijos and his Companions on the Beach at Málaga, 1882
Management
Funding
In 1991, Manuel Villaescusa bequeathed his fortune of nearly $40 million in Madrid real estate to the Prado, to be used solely for the acquisition of paintings. The museum subsequently sold Villaescusa's buildings to realize income from them. The bequest suddenly made the Prado one of the most formidable bidders for paintings in the world.[16]
Until the early 2000s, the Prado's annual income was approximately $18 million, $15 million of which came from the government and the remainder from private contributions, publications, and admissions.[16] In 2001, the conservative government of José María Aznar decided to change the museum's financing platform, ushering in a public-private partnership. Under its new bylaws, which the Cortes Generales approved in 2003, the Prado must gradually reduce its level of state support to 50 percent from 80 percent. In exchange, the museum gained control of the budget — which was roughly €35 million in 2004 — and the power to raise money from corporate donations and merchandising.[17] However, its 2004 €150 million expansion was paid for by the Spanish state.[17]
Directors
The first four directors were drawn from nobility. From 1838 to 1960, the directors were mostly artists. Since then, most of them have been art historians.
- The Marquess of Santa Cruz, 1817–1820
- The Prince of Anglona, 1820–1823
- José Idiáquez Carvajal , 1823–1826
- The Duke of Híjar, 1826–1838
- José de Madrazo, 1838–1857
- Juan Antonio de Ribera, 1857–1860
- Federico de Madrazo, 1860–1868
- Antonio Gisbert, 1868–1873
- Francisco Sans Cabot, 1873–1881
- Federico de Madrazo, 1881–1894
- Vicente Palmaroli, 1894–1896
- Francisco Pradilla, 1896–1898
- Luis Álvarez Catalá, 1898–1901
- José Villegas Cordero, 1901–1918
- Aureliano de Beruete y Moret, 1918–1922
- Fernando Álvarez de Sotomayor, 1922–1931
- Ramón Pérez de Ayala, 1931–1936
- Pablo Ruiz Picasso, 1936–1939
- Fernando Álvarez de Sotomayor, 1939–1960
- Francisco Javier Sánchez Cantón, 1960–1968
- Diego Angulo Íñiguez, 1968–1971
- Xavier de Salas Bosch , 1971–1978
- José Manuel Pita Andrade , 1978–1981
- Federico Sopeña , 1981–1983
- Alfonso Pérez Sánchez , 1983–1991
- Felipe Garín Llombart, 1991–1993
- Francisco Calvo Serraller, 1993–1994
- José María Luzón Nogué , 1994–1996
- Fernando Checa Cremades , 1996–2002
- Miguel Zugaza Miranda , 2002–2017
- Miguel Falomir , 2017 – present
In Google Earth
In 2009, the Prado Museum selected 14 of its most important paintings to be displayed in
Nearby museums
A few meters away there are two museums of international significance, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the Museo Reina Sofía.
Nearby is the
The
Special exhibitions
Between 8 November 2011 and 25 March 2012, a group of 179 works of art were brought to the Museo del Prado from the
- A Scholar (1631), by Rembrandt
- The Lute Player (c. 1596), by Caravaggio
- Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (1647), by Bernini
- Game of Bowls (1908), by Henri Matisse
- Bouquet of Cornflowers with Stems of Oats in a Vase (c. 1900), by House of Fabergé
- Pond at Montgeron (1876), by Claude Monet
- Belt buckle with a monster attacking a horse, (4th–3rd century BC), (gold ornament from Peter I's Siberian Collection)
- Moonrise, Two Men on the Shore (c. 1900), by Caspar David Friedrich
- Composition VI (1913), by Wassily Kandinsky
- Metaphysical Still life (1918), by Giorgio Morandi
Conversely, for the first time in its 200-year history, the Museo del Prado has toured an exhibition of its renowned collection of Italian masterpieces at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, from 16 May 2014 until 31 August 2014. Many of the works have never before left Spain.
See also
References
- ^ The Art Newspaper, March 31, 2021.
- ^ Cheshire, Lee; da Silva, José (27 March 2023). "The 100 most popular art museums in the world—who has recovered and who is still struggling?". The Art Newspaper. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ Barrigós, Concha (21 March 2017). "Miguel Falomir, nuevo director del Prado: "Nunca, nunca pediré el traslado del 'Guernica'"". 20 minutos. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
- ^ "The Collection: origins". Museo Nacional del Prado. Retrieved 15 November 2012.See also Museo del Prado, Catálogo de las pinturas, 1996, Ministerio de Educación y Cultura, Madrid, No ISBN, which lists about 7,800 paintings. Many works have been passed to the Museo Reina Sofia and other museums over the years; others are on loan or in storage. On the new displays, see El Prado se reordena y agranda. europapress.es here (in Spanish)
- ^ "The Art Newspaper", 31 march 2021
- ^ "La historia del Museo del Prado". Vipealo. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ Alan Riding (1 August 1990). "The Prado Finds Out What It Has and Where". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
- ^ Alan Riding (1 May 1995). "The Prado Embarks On Plans to Expand Into a Complex". New York Times. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
- ^ a b Al Goodman (19 November 1998). "At Long Last, Expanding Spain's Treasure Chest". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
- ^ "Chronology of the extension". Museo Nacional del Prado. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
- ^ Hannah McGivern (25 November 2016), Norman Foster to design Prado extension in historic palace Archived 27 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine The Art Newspaper.
- ^ New York Times.
- ^ Gareth Harris (September 30, 2021), Prado extension designed by Norman Foster finally gets the green light The Art Newspaper.
- ^ "Chronology of Museo del Prado, 1785" (in Spanish). Museo Nacional del Prado. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
- ^ "Así es la ampliación del Museo del Prado de Norman Foster". ABC. 25 June 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ a b Michael Kimmelman (21 November 1993). "New Brooms Sweep Madrid's Museums". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
- ^ a b Dale Fuchs (24 December 2004). "The art of financing the Prado". New York Times. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
- Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
- Google.com. Archived from the originalon 17 January 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
- ^ "The Hermitage in the Prado". Museo Nacional del Prado. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
Further reading
- Alcolea Blanch, Santiago. The Prado, translated by Richard-Lewis Rees and Angela Patricia Hall. Madrid: Ediciones Polígrafa 1991.
- Araujo Sánchez, Ceferino. Los museos de España. Madrid 1875.
- Blanco, Antonio. Museo del Prado. Catálago de la Escultura. I Esculturas clásicas. II. Escultura, copia e imitaciones de las antiguas) (siglos XVI–XVIII). Madrid 1957.
- Luca de Tena, Consuelo and Mena, Manuela. Guía actualizada del Prado. Madrid: Alfiz 1985.
- Rumeu de Armas, Antonio. Origen y fundación del Museo del Prado. Madrid: Instituto de España 1980.
External links
- Official website
- Masterworks in the collection
- Prado in Google Earth (extra high resolution)