Voces del Prado

Exhibitions in the 1980’s

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

Large-scale temporary exhibitions began to be staged because of some personal endeavour or personal links, organised by individuals who had the capacity to carry out such major events. For example, I could mention the Murillo Exhibition [“Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617-1682)” in 1982]. Why was the Murillo Exhibition made possible? Because the leading expert in the field was don Diego Angulo, who had been Director of this Museum and the teacher of the Director at the time, who had also served as Assistant Director, Alfonso Pérez Sánchez. He’d also taught the Assistant Director, Manuela Mena. And through his personal contacts they managed to stage the marvellous Murillo Exhibition, which I was able to enjoy as a student.
And following the grand “Velázquez” exhibition in 1990, something happened that has now become customary, namely the possibility of being able to see works such as Venus with a Mirror at the Museo del Prado. This was something I was able to experience at first hand because I worked at the Museum, and it was a real milestone. The exhibition of works such as Venus with a Mirror or the portrait of Juan de Pareja, both loaned by the Metropolitan Museum in New York, really required all the professional and academic clout and prestige of figures such as Alfonso Pérez Sánchez and Manuela Mena.