Voces del Prado

Don Xavier de Salas and don Alfonso Pérez Sánchez

Rocío Dávila Álvarez, Restorer, 1974-2015

I’m really fond of don Xavier de Salas, because I think, in the beginning, he really wasn’t very sure that such a young woman could be a restorer; he thought I was there just to pass the time of day. But then, later on, he was a really nice person and we got on very well together. I was delighted to work with him. He is one of my favourite Directors. And then there was don Alfonso Pérez Sánchez, who was very important to me, because at that time he was the Assistant Director of the Prado, and then he went on to become Director. He was one of the figures who gave the most to the Museum. He did a great deal to modernise the Prado and to ensure that the Museum acquired a more modern outlook. I believe he was one of the people behind the establishment of the Prado workshop, and he involved himself fully in order to see that the employees at the workshop were young and were keen to work hard. I have very good memories of both Directors. Alfonso Pérez Sánchez was a person whose office was always open so that you could say whatever you needed to say to him. It’s something you’re grateful for, because he was always prepared to help. They are two people I have marvellous memories of.