Voces del Prado

The Prado Today and Yesteryear

Rocío Dávila Álvarez, Restorer, 1974-2015

The Museum I first experienced was just emerging from a former period and had a rather dark outlook. But the Museum I’m leaving today is endowed with more facilities and is much better. But to be honest, I prefer the former Museum, because those are the memories I have. One thing that Alfonso Pérez Sánchez introduced, for example, was to provide free entry to the Museum. As a result, we saw a great number of people come who really loved painting, who were able to stay in the halls as long as they liked, looking at the works in peace. These people were just normal people, not academics or professors, just normal. I can see that that level of intimacy at the Museum has been lost. Now, thousands of people visit the Museo del Prado to see the works and you can hardly stop and enjoy them.
The Museum offers so many things today. In the old days you were lucky if they gave you a single photograph to study a work. Today, it’s not that they give you a photograph; it’s more like a complete dossier on the work! It’s all changed, just like the world has changed. I think modernity has crept in little by little. But I think the people who have worked at the Prado, especially the Directors, have all been highly involved in what they are doing. Some will have been more successful than others. You might think that some have succeeded and maybe they haven’t. I don’t recall anyone who has ever come to the Prado reluctantly. Everyone who has worked for the Prado has been a bonus. We’re at the Prado! What more do you want? I’ve been extremely lucky in my life. It’s really the best place I could’ve worked, seeing how much I love painting.