The responsibility of being president

Carlos Zurita Delgado. Duke of Soria, Chairman of the Friends of the Museo del Prado Foundation, 1988-Actualidad

I’m Carlos Zurita, Duke of Soria and since 1988 I’ve been the president of the Fundación Amigos del Museo del Prado. I succeeded my brother-in-law Luis Gómez-Acebo, the Duke of Badajoz, who had become ill with the leukaemia from which he subsequently died and who was also occupied with the Museo Thyssen negotiations. He believed it wasn’t ethical to be in the two places at once so he asked me to take over the presidency if the Board of Trustees accepted. It was a difficult decision and I thought about it for some time as I was busy with my professional activities, I was working until 4 years ago when I reached 70 and I didn’t know if I would have enough time. I also had the responsibility of two children’s education at that time and various things at home that my wife and I shared, so I gave it a lot of thought. But in the end what matters is the importance of the institution, of the Museum itself, rather than the personality of the two people who had held the presidency of the Fundación de Amigos up to then: the Duke of Badajoz, as I said, and Emilio Lafuente Ferrari, the magnificent art historian who also founded it. I realised that I was effectively obliged to take on this position, which I did with great pleasure.