Voces del Prado

A Cat in the Halls

Francisco Manso Guerrero, Gallery attendant and Clerical Support, 1966-1991

They were carrying out refurbishment work at the Museo del Prado, and one day they came into the hall upstairs, where they’d been restoring Las Meninas. We went up and there was a cat there. At that time the Assistant Director was Mr. [Manuel Jorge] Aragoneses, and the caretaker, Pedro [Sobrino], came up to tell him, “Mr. Aragoneses, the cats are getting in through the holes that the workers have made during the refurbishment; cats have got in and they’re in the halls”. And Mr. Aragoneses collared Chelo, who was the Secretary at the time, and told her, “listen to this, cats are getting in through the hole the workers have made”. And Chelo started laughing; she’s almost died laughing. We notified them that there was a cat there and we closed up. They told us, “careful you don’t agitate it; we don’t want it to jump up at the pictures”. Piedad Espinosa de los Monteros arrived, who came to the Museum frequently with Rocío [Arnáez] and she said, “Let me in, I’ll catch it”. “But how are you going to catch it?” But she went in, closed herself in with that big cat and then came out with it in her arms.