I finished my Restoration Degree in 1969 and I started working in 1970. I had to leave the Restoration Institute because I had to go to live outside Madrid. I got married and my husband had to go and work outside the city. They’re periods you go through, and I had to go through that period. I didn’t think that I might be able to stay and work here for a while. And I remember that I left in tears. I found it extremely difficult to give up my work and I had to stop working for six years and disconnect myself from that world. But I didn’t lose contact entirely because my sister continued working and I continued to come to Madrid. 18.50
I began at the Museo del Prado when I started working again, and, suddenly, working with those paintings was like starting anew. And I experienced a tremendous sense of development. Now what pains me is the fact that I’ve retired, because I would continue just the same, even though I might work in a different way. It’s a very tiring job and I understand that your physical faculties are not quite the same. You need really good eyesight, poise and concentration. Retirement is a tremendous change in my life.
She works as a restorer at the Museo del Prado, participating in major projects such as the restoration of Las Meninas in 1984, directed by John Brealey (from the Metropolitan Museum of Art) and the restoration of the Adam and Eve panels by Dürer.
Interview recorded on November 29, 2017