This exhibition launches the extensive programme organised by the Museum to mark the 200th anniversary of its foundation. It offers a survey of the museum’s history that focuses on the dialogue between the Museum and society; heritage policies in Spain; the trends that have guided the growth of the museum’s collection and its transformation into a place that has allowed Spanish and foreign writers, intellectuals and artists to reflect on the country’s past and its collective identity.

The Museo del Prado presents an anthological exhibition organized in conjunction with the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya that enables us to admire the technical virtuosity and suggestive visual universe of Bartolomé Bermejo in all its splendor for the very first time. Bermejo was a master painter from Cordoba who pursued his professional career in the territories that made up the Kingdom of Aragon.

Bartolomé Bermejo is one of the most fascinating figures from the art scene of the second half of the fifteenth century, and this exhibition, organized in collaboration with the Madrid Regional Government and featuring the support of Fundación Banco Sabadell, brings together the majority of his works for the very first time. His works are preserved at museums and in collections distributed throughout Spain, Europe and the United States, and include masterpieces such as Saint Michael Triumphant Over the Devil with the Donor Antoni Joan of Tous, from the National Gallery in London, and Pietat Desplà from the Cathedral of Barcelona, amongst others.

The Fountain of Grace is not just the only painting from the circle of Jan van Eyck in the Prado’s collection but also one of the most intriguing. The identity of the artist, the work’s precise subject and origins remain unknown but have provoked enormous scholarly debate since it entered the museum’s collection nearly 200 years ago. New and interesting information arising from recent research and restoration has increased our knowledge of the work.

Desde el 30 de octubre, en la sala 66 del edificio Villanueva, el visitante del Museo del Prado podrá disfrutar de La última comunión de san José de Calasanz, la pintura religiosa de Goya más evocadora que fue pintada el mismo año de la inauguración del Museo del Prado para la iglesia de San Antón del colegio de las Escuelas Pías de Madrid.

Este extraordinario préstamo, propiedad de la Orden de las Escuelas Pías de la provincia de Betania, se inscribe en el programa ‘La obra invitada’, una actividad patrocinada por la Fundación Amigos del Museo del Prado desde 2010 para enriquecer la visita al Museo y establecer un término de comparación que permita reflexionar sobre las propias pinturas del Prado.

The Museo del Prado has restored three paintings considered to be among the most important religious compositions by the leading Spanish Romantic artist Antonio María Esquivel. Esquivel's work as the creator of religious paintings is barely kwnow despite being among his principal artistic concerns. Now visitors can see The Fall of Lucifer, Christ the Saviour and other works.