Information about the institution, its organization and planning

Action Plan

The Museo del Prado recently undertook the most ambitious expansion and modernisation project in its history. As Spain’s primary cultural institution and one of the main European public museums, this ambitious transformation process, which the Museum is still undergoing, should be the subject of special attention both from society and the government.

Between 2002 and 2004 the Museo del Prado Renewal Plan [Plan Hacia el Nuevo Museo del Prado] was drawn up around three pillars: expansion, modernization, and activities and services. In November 2003, the Law Regulating the Museo Nacional del Prado was approved marking a momentous change in the Museum’s legal status and management model, by converting its legal status from that of an autonomous organization [organismo autónomo] into a public organization [organismo autónomo].

The Multiyear Action Plan 2005–2008 marked the end of a decisive period of time, as it saw the completion of the Museum’s expansion and the public unveiling of the new Museo Nacional del Prado.

The Action Plan 2009–2012 was structured into seven original projects structured around four priority lines of action: maximizing the visibility of the Museum’s collections both at its headquarters and elsewhere; promoting the institution’s activities as a leader in the study and conservation of art as well as enhancing collaboration with the scientific and university communities; increasing the vitality and quality of its educational and cultural activities; and encouraging an organizational culture and efficient management system guaranteeing the organization’s access to funding and promoting the creation of a high-quality, motivated and involved community. The plan’s seven projects were given the following names: ‘The Collection: The Prado’s Other Expansion’ [La Colección: la otra ampliación del Prado], ‘A Bigger Museum: The Prado Long-term loans’ [Un Museo más extenso: el Prado Disperso], ‘The Best Prado Experience’ [La mejor experiencia del Prado], ‘The Study Centre: An International Leader in Curation and Restoration’ [Centro de Estudios: un referente internacional en la conservación y restauración], ‘The Exhibitions of the Prado’ [Las Exposiciones del Prado], ‘Working in the Prado’ [Ser del Prado] and ‘The Future Within the Past: The Hall of Realms’ [El futuro en el pasado: el Salón de Reinos].

The institution’s Action Plan 2013–2016, which was unavoidably shaped by the crisis and decrease in proportion of public funding in its budgets, was based on goals that were both realistic and ambitious, with the Museum taking on the commitment to increase its self-financing capacity to 73% and maintain high levels of exhibition and research activities focused on its primary strength: its Collection.

The institution’s Action Plan 2017–2020 provides continuity to the lines of action of the previous plan, maintaining its Collection as the central axis of activities which, following a period shaped by a financial and political context of austerity, were also focused into two extraordinary programs: the commemoration of the Museum’s 200th Anniversary in 2019 and the architectural restoration and museum outfitting of the Salón de Reinos [Hall of Realms].

The action Plan 2022–2025 establishes a roadmap for the institution over the next four years and states the vision underlying its role in society as a leading cultural institution that is ‘committed to all publics and a leader in universal accessibility and in social and cultural integration.’ It stresses the need to revamp ‘it’s expository discourse to bring it in line with new avenues of research and the constant search for excellence,’ moreover establishing five main goals structuring all of the Prado’s activities: bringing the Museum back to normal following the COVID-19 pandemic; addressing new cultural needs and achieving excellence in the performance of the Museum’s duties; repositioning the Museum’s Collection within the Spanish national context through a new deposits policy called Prado Disperso; adapting the institution’s management and infrastructure to the government’s modernization guidelines; and completing the spaces of the Prado campus by outfitting the Hall of Realms and opening it to the public.

The new Action Plan 2026–2028, which is intended to consolidate the lines of work already initiated in the previous plan, builds on its structure, commitments and lessons learnt. Focused on consolidating the museum’s institutional maturity, it bases its activities on principles that are now essential for any museum: openness to diverse interpretations and narratives surrounding its collection, a commitment to public service, social responsibility, sustainability, universal access to heritage, and an ethical commitment to the transmission of knowledge. These values permeate the new Plan and guide its objectives towards a more open, inclusive, dynamic and sustainable institution that is conscious of its role in today's society.

Action Plan

Action Plans