Voces del Prado

A Leave of Absence to Become the Head of National Heritage

José Luis Díez García, Head of the Department of Conservation of 19th Century Painting, 1988-2013

I decided to leave the Museum because this opportunity came up. I looked back over my career and I could see that I had done everything I had to do at the Museo del Prado. I’d fulfilled the mission that I mentioned in the beginning, the mission of raising the profile of the nineteenth century collections, which went from being rolled up in a storeroom to sharing the halls of the Prado with Velázquez and Goya. Mission accomplished. Second, I’d wanted to study all of the leading Spanish artists of the nineteenth century: Rosales, Madrazo, López, Fortuny, Sorolla. I think I also managed to fulfil this goal.
Some people might think that the real incentive that led to my change in role was the creation of the new Royal Collections Museum. But I can tell you quite honestly, I had already spent 26 years at the Museo del Prado and, naturally, I still consider the Museum to be the best in the world. But, of course, I was excited by the prospect of moving to the new Royal Collections Museum. Amongst other reasons, it was a challenge and the Collection presented an absolutely new, different and unique formulation. Any challenge is always welcome. All of this was complemented by an enriching vision for me, namely the fact that I was chosen as a Member of the Royal Academy of History in 2010. This sense of responsibility as a historian or history academic, of being able to manage the historical settings where a good part of Spain’s history was played out, also served as an incentive. I was motivated by the possibility and excitement of being responsible for the historical and artistic interpretation of the Royal Collections at the very historical venues for which they were created.
The idea of coming to the Museo del Prado every day to work really gives you goose pimples, especially in the days when we went to work in the offices at the Villanueva Building. Walking past Las Meninas when the Museum is closed is an experience that sends a tingle of pleasure down anybody’s spine. The same occurs when you go to the Royal Palace every morning and you can see the façade closing in on you as you go inside, and you say to yourself, “My goodness! I’m in the Royal Palace!”