Voces del Prado

Masterclasses from Pérez Sánchez

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

Alfonso Emilio Pérez Sánchez used to tell me, “what I regret is not being able to convey the same things that don Diego Angulo conveyed to me: not only a knowledge of the history of art, but a whole philosophy of understanding different things in life”. But Pérez Sánchez was wrong about that, because he certainly did manage to convey just that. And I, who arrived practically at the end of his time here, was the very last carriage in a very long train of marvellous disciples of Pérez Sánchez. He certainly did manage to inculcate us with a way of seeing things, both inside and outside our profession; to value and measure what is important and what is not; to distinguish the path we should pursue from other superfluous paths. That’s what I learned from him.
It may seem rather facile to say so, but it’s important to have a sense of honour in everything you do: a sense of honour when it comes to conveying a way of thinking or tackling a work of art. Pedantry so very often appears in order to cover up a skill or capacity that we don’t possess. I may know something or not, and if I don’t know it, I can learn it. But you have to value what is important. And you also have to have a sense of humility, which begins with the work of art itself, since all works of art are important. In the beginning he addressed me in a formal manner and told me, “paintings such as Las Meninas must be as important to you as the last picture in the storeroom”. You have to have the ability to work at the Museo del Prado and not dismiss any work of art simply because it’s better or worse than others. Because he could have said, “I’ll just keep the cream and the rest is for museums of a lower category”.
Everything makes sense; we don’t invent anything. We must always ask ourselves why the painter added something or left it out. It’s not fallacious; it has some meaning. That is certainly the case in the history of art. And, of course, paintings provide a path with which to learn many other things. But all of this also has to be transferred to the realm of personal conduct. If you are convinced about what you are doing, then you should continue, because you are on the right path. If you’re convinced, then carry on. Day-to-day decisions are also difficult and important for the head of a team at an institution such as this. Everyone working here must understand that this leadership exists, that clear ideas are being implemented and that the Museum is moving in a certain direction. But the direction is institutional, not personal. The institution is above any particular individual and nothing comes before the institution itself.