Voces del Prado

The Prado has given me many things

Conchi Montero Velasco, General Services Assistant, 1970-2014

The Museo del Prado has given me many things, because I was at a place where I really loved working. I’ve learned things and I’ve had the opportunity to meet many people. All kinds of people have passed through the Prado: directors, artists … It’s really great and, whether you like it or not, it becomes part of your life. You remember all the lovely things you have experienced, the beautiful exhibitions and many other things. Like when we stayed behind during the conferences, because there always had to be a supervisor. I heard some very beautiful and interesting presentations. All of that has enriched my life and I can remember many things. Talking about the Museo del Prado right now brings tears to my eyes. It has been an important part of my life.
I miss going to work there. I’d love to get up in the mornings, get ready and come to work. When you get to the Museum, you chat with your colleagues, you go into the halls, you see people enter, the public, and some say one thing and others say other things. You feel you’re alive and you’re useful for something. What happens when you retire? I’m fine at home, of course, and now I can spend some free time with my husband and my children. I come and go, and I don’t have to be pending about having to go to work. It’s marvelous. But I really miss the Museo del Prado. Sometimes they say to me “Oh, come on!”. Sometimes I pop into the Prado and I don’t look at anything, because I still feel a sense of nostalgia. And they say “But how can you be like that?” Well look, that’s what I’m like. The fact is I’ve got the Prado inside me. I’ve dreamt about the Museum, about my colleagues, and I’ve woken up thinking I’m at the Museum, but I’m at home. It’s true!