Voces del Prado

A Marvellous Experience

Montserrat Sabán Godoy, Management Technician, 1977-2016

The Museum has been a marvellous experience for me. I’ve had a wonderful time, that’s the truth. Some periods were better than others. There was period when I was with María Jesús Gonzalo, Rocío Arnaez and a few others, when we had the same office and we had a great time. We had a real laugh. We also worked very hard, but because we were so happy, we also had a great time. Sometimes we even went to the theatre or the cinema together, because you didn’t just see it as a job; we were also friends. In fact, I still see María Jesús outside the Museum, and that’s because we all got on so well. The worst part was, perhaps, the anxiety. People laugh when I tell them that the Museum is a poisoned chalice. But it’s true. Because you love it and you can’t leave it, but, on the other hand, you find yourself in work situations that nobody else can understand. So my family, my mother and everyone would say: “I don’t understand it; nobody understands this love for the Museum”. I’d reply that it wasn’t love for the Museum, but simply that the Museum was my life. In fact, now I’m delighted to be retired, but many days I still miss the Museum. When they’re setting up an exhibition or when they do something, I say to myself: “What I would do to be part of the assembly team!” Because I enjoyed it.
I content myself with the affection I have taken away with me from the Museo del Prado. For me, it was fundamental to be able to see that people miss you, because they appreciated you. You can’t buy that anywhere. Apart from what it has meant to me professionally, for me the Prado was just the best! It’s the best place I could have ever worked!