Voces del Prado

A Lesson in Life

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

One of the worst periods that Pérez Sánchez was forced to suffer as Director of the Museum was the result of a campaign that was waged against him personally and against the Assistant Director, Manuela Mena, because of the restoration of Las Meninas. The idea that a foreign restorer, John Brealey, should come to meddle with an icon of Spanish culture led to a press campaign that was entirely unpredictable. It was really just a way of making noise, of influencing Pérez Sánchez’s management of the Museum.
Those were moments of intense pressure from all sides, from groups of restorers who were protesting at the Museum door, from articles that appeared on the front page of newspapers, etc. He knew that he was doing the right thing for the painting, irrespective of his own opinions, politicians and the different interest-groups involved. He simply considered that he was doing the best thing, and this turned out to be the case. We were all calm because the measures that were being taken were the best possible measures that could have been taken. Based on this restoration, John Brealey truly set out the guiding principles for the restoration workshop as we know it today, in its capacity as one of the most prestigious workshops in the world.
After an ill-fated day, I had to discuss several work issues with him, so the following day we met at his home in Galapagar. As if absolutely nothing were amiss, he showed me around his flower-garden. He had a seasonal garden that was specially planned so that he had flowers all year round. I, being just 29 years old, was thinking “how is it possible that this man, with all the pressures he has to bear, can be talking to me about the seasonal flower cycles in his garden?” It seemed completely impossible. That was also an important lesson in life. When you are facing a big problem, you have to know how to handle it based on an awareness that you are doing the right thing. You must be calm because you are doing the best thing for the institution and you can sleep soundly.