Safekipedia

Museo del Prado

Adapted from Wikipedia · Adventurer experience

A famous painting called “Las Meninas” by Diego Velázquez, showing a group of children and servants in a palace.

The Museo del Prado, officially called Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum in central Madrid. It has a wonderful collection of European art from the 12th century to the early 20th century. Many of these artworks came from the old Spanish royal collection, making it a special place to see beautiful paintings and sculptures.

The museum opened in 1819 and shows works by famous artists. You can see amazing art by Francisco Goya, Hieronymus Bosch, El Greco, Peter Paul Rubens, Titian, and Diego Velázquez. Velázquez helped bring many great Italian artworks to Spain, so the Prado has a large collection of Italian masters.

Today, the Prado has many drawings, paintings, prints, and sculptures, along with other art pieces and historic documents. In 2020, it was one of the most-visited museums in the world. Together with the nearby Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the Museo Reina Sofía, the Prado is part of Madrid's Golden Triangle of Art. This area, known as the Paseo del Prado, was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2021.

History

In the main exhibition hall, first floor

The Museo Nacional del Prado was built in 1785 by architect Juan de Villanueva because Charles III wanted it. Later, Ferdinand VII and his wife, Queen María Isabel de Braganza, turned it into a museum. It opened to the public in November 1819. The museum wanted to show Spain's art to the world.

The museum started with art from Spanish kings. It grew over time. Now it has famous pieces like The Descent from the Cross by Rogier van der Weyden, Las Meninas by Velázquez, and The Family of Charles IV by Goya, among many others. The museum has expanded to hold more art and visitors.

Historic structure

The Prado Museum building was built when Charles III was in charge. It was part of a big plan to make Madrid look more beautiful. José Moñino y Redondo, count of Floridablanca started the idea, and Charles III began building it in 1785. The famous architect Juan de Villanueva designed it.

The land where the museum now stands used to be a meadow, called "prado". This name was later used for the nearby area and the museum itself. Building stopped for a while, especially during the Peninsular War, and the space was used by soldiers. Building started again later under Ferdinand VII.

Plans to update the museum were approved in June 2020. A famous British architect, Norman Foster, will lead these changes. The work will take at least four years to finish.

Collection highlights

Main article: Spanish royal collection

Further information: Category:Collection of the Museo del Prado

See also: British paintings in the Museo del Prado

The Museo del Prado has many famous paintings and artworks. Some of the best-known pieces are:

Diego Velázquez, Las Meninas, between 1656 and 1657

The museum also has works by artists such as Tintoretto, Correggio, Paolo Veronese, Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, and many more.

Diego Velázquez, The Triumph of Bacchus, 1628–29

Selected works

[Rogier van der Weyden](/wiki/Rogier_van_der_Weyden), _[The Descent from the Cross](/wiki/The_Descent_from_the_Cross_\(van_der_Weyden\))_, c. 1435

[Andrea Mantegna](/wiki/Andrea_Mantegna), _[Death of the Virgin](/wiki/Death_of_the_Virgin_\(Mantegna\))_, c. 1461

[Albrecht Dürer](/wiki/Albrecht_Dürer) _Self-portrait_, 1498

[Fernando Yáñez de la Almedina](/wiki/Fernando_Yáñez_de_la_Almedina), _Saint Catherine of Alexandria_, c. 1510

[Raphael](/wiki/Raphael), _[Portrait of a Cardinal](/wiki/Portrait_of_a_Cardinal_\(Raphael\))_, c. 1510–11

[Joachim Patinir](/wiki/Joachim_Patinir), _[Landscape with Charon Crossing the Styx](/wiki/Landscape_with_Charon_Crossing_the_Styx)_, c. 1515–1524

[Raphael](/wiki/Raphael), _The Pearl_, c. 1518–1520

[Correggio](/wiki/Correggio), _[Noli me tangere](/wiki/Noli_me_tangere_\(Correggio\))_, c. 1525

Titian, _[Bacchanal of the Andrians](/wiki/The_Bacchanal_of_the_Andrians)_, c. 1523–1526

Titian, _[Equestrian Portrait of Charles V](/wiki/Equestrian_Portrait_of_Charles_V)_, c. 1548

Titian, _[The Fall of Man](/wiki/The_Fall_of_Man_\(Titian\))_, c. 1570

El Greco, _[Holy Trinity (El Greco)](/wiki/Holy_Trinity_\(El_Greco\))_, 1577–1579

El Greco, _[The Knight with His Hand on His Breast](/wiki/The_Nobleman_with_his_Hand_on_his_Chest)_, c. 1580

[Caravaggio](/wiki/Caravaggio), _[David and Goliath](/wiki/David_and_Goliath_\(Caravaggio\))_, 1600

[Rembrandt](/wiki/Rembrandt), _[Artemisia](/wiki/Judith_at_the_Banquet_of_Holofernes)_, c. 1634

[Anthony van Dyck](/wiki/Anthony_van_Dyck), _[Self-portrait with Endymion Porter](/wiki/Self-portrait_with_Sir_Endymion_Porter)_, c. 1635

[Diego Velázquez](/wiki/Diego_Velázquez), _[The Surrender of Breda](/wiki/The_Surrender_of_Breda)_, 1634–35

[José de Ribera](/wiki/José_de_Ribera), _[Jacob's Dream](/wiki/Jacob's_Dream)_, 1639

[Peter Paul Rubens](/wiki/Peter_Paul_Rubens), _[The Judgement of Paris](/wiki/The_Judgment_of_Paris_\(Rubens\))_, 1638–39

[Francisco de Zurbarán](/wiki/Francisco_de_Zurbarán), _[Agnus Dei](/wiki/Agnus_Dei,_\(Zurbarán\))_, 1635–1640

[Bartolomé Esteban Murillo](/wiki/Bartolomé_Esteban_Murillo), _[La Inmaculada de Soult](/wiki/The_Immaculate_Conception_of_Los_Venerables)_, 1678

[Giovanni Battista Tiepolo](/wiki/Giovanni_Battista_Tiepolo), _The Immaculate Conception_, 1767

[Francisco Goya](/wiki/Francisco_Goya), _[The Third of May 1808](/wiki/The_Third_of_May_1808)_, 1814

[Francisco Goya](/wiki/Francisco_Goya), _[The Dog](/wiki/The_Dog_\(Goya\))_, 1819–1823

[Paul Baudry](/wiki/Paul_Baudry), _[The Pearl and the Wave](/wiki/The_Pearl_and_the_Wave)_, 1862

Management

The Museo del Prado has had many leaders. The first directors were from noble families, and later most were artists. Today, the directors are usually art history experts.

In 1991, the museum got a large gift of money to buy more paintings. For many years, most of the money came from the government. But changes in the early 2000s let the museum earn more from private donations and sales of items like books and gifts.

Funding

Directors

In Google Earth

In 2009, the Prado Museum chose 14 of its most important paintings to show in Google Earth and Google Maps. These paintings were shown in very high resolution, with the largest one showing up to 14,000 megapixels. This lets visitors see the paintings up close and notice tiny details and textures of the paint.

Nearby museums

The Museo del Prado is close to two big museums: the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the Museo Reina Sofía.

You can also visit the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, the Museo Arqueológico with old items from Spain, Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome. There is also the Naval museum run by the Ministry of Defence.

Special exhibitions

Between November 2011 and March 2012, the Museo del Prado showed 179 artworks from the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. Some of these included:

For the first time in its 200-year history, the Museo del Prado sent some of its famous Italian masterpieces to the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, from May 2014 to August 2014. Many of these artworks had never left Spain before.

Images

The grand entrance to Museo del Prado in Madrid, featuring a statue of Francisco de Goya.
A classic portrait painting from the early 1800s showing a woman in elegant period clothing.
A statue honoring the famous painter Velázquez located in the Museo del Prado.
A view inside the modern extension of the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain.
The Prado Museum in Madrid, a famous art museum with beautiful Neoclassical architecture.
Classical artwork depicting the Descent from the Cross by Rogier van der Weyden, displayed in the Museo del Prado.
A 15th-century painting showing a traditional religious scene from the Dormition of the Virgin Mary by Andrea Mantegna.
A 15th-century painting showing an angel gently supporting the body of Christ, showcasing detailed Renaissance art and religious symbolism.
Logo of the Prado National Museum in Madrid, Spain.

Related articles

Madrid
El Greco
Art museum
Art of Europe
Spain

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Museo del Prado, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Images from Wikimedia Commons. Tap any image to view credits and license.