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Museo del Prado

Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience

The grand entrance to Museo del Prado in Madrid, featuring a statue of Francisco de Goya.

The Museo del Prado, officially called Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum in central Madrid. It holds 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 very special place to see beautiful paintings and sculptures.

The museum opened in 1819 and is home to some of the most famous artists in the world. You can see amazing works by Francisco Goya, one of the most featured artists there, as well as pieces by Hieronymus Bosch, El Greco, Peter Paul Rubens, Titian, and Diego Velázquez. Velázquez helped bring many great Italian artworks to Spain, so the Prado has one of the largest collections of Italian masters outside of Italy.

Today, the Prado has around 8,200 drawings, 7,600 paintings, 4,800 prints, and 1,000 sculptures, along with many other art pieces and historic documents. In 2020, it was the 16th most-visited museum 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 on orders from Charles III. It was later turned into a museum of paintings and sculptures by Ferdinand VII and his wife, Queen María Isabel de Braganza, opening to the public in November 1819. The museum aimed to show Spain's art to the world and prove it was just as good as other countries' art.

The museum started with works from Spanish kings and grew over time. It now holds 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. It has expanded several times to hold more art and visitors.

Historic structure

The Prado Museum building was built during the time of Charles III. It was part of a big plan to make Madrid look more grand. The idea started with José Moñino y Redondo, count of Floridablanca, and Charles III began the work 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 after it became national. 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 for future updates to the museum were approved in June 2020. A famous British architect, Norman Foster, will lead these changes, which 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 most well-known pieces include:

Diego Velázquez, Las Meninas, between 1656 and 1657

The museum also features 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 over the years. The first directors came from noble families, and later, most were artists. Today, the directors are usually experts in art history.

The museum received a large gift of money in 1991, which helped it buy more paintings. For many years, most of the museum's money came from the government, but changes in the early 2000s allowed the museum to 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 displayed in very high resolution, with the largest one showing up to 14,000 megapixels. This lets visitors see the paintings up close, noticing the tiny details and textures of the paint.

Nearby museums

Just a short walk from the Museo del Prado, you can find two very important museums: the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the Museo Reina Sofía.

Other nearby places to visit include the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, the Museo Arqueológico with old artifacts from Spain, Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome, as well as the Naval museum managed 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

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

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