Voces del Prado

I never dreamt I might head the Museo del Prado one day

Francisco Calvo Serraller, Museum Director, 1993-1994

I never dreamt I would become the Director of the Museo del Prado. Of course, nobody expected I’d be offered the opportunity to head the Prado, least of all me. Although I was the only one who was prepared to accept the position, should it be offered to me, something that I never suspected might happen.
I was called by the Minister of Culture, Carmen Alborch, and I was pretty astonished by her proposal. I’d normally been much more associated with contemporary art, although this didn’t really correspond to my knowledge and my view of art in general. It was probably because I’d worked as an art critic for "El País" since the newspaper was founded. People thought I was only interested in contemporary art. That was not the case at all! My Chair is in the General History of Art and my thesis focused on the 17th century. So this was a complete misconception. I was surprised the Minister asked me though. She convinced me because I really loved the Museum, I knew its directors well and I’d been part of the Foundation for twenty-odd years. I also thought that, if I’d been offered the Reina Sofía Modern Art Museum, I wouldn’t have accepted the post. Having taken part in the daily battle of contemporary art criticism, I thought it might have been awkward to jump into the limelight. I thought, incorrectly as it turned out, that taking a position at the Museo del Prado would allow me to carry out my work in a calmer and more effective manner.