Voces del Prado

Twenty-Six Consecutive Years

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

My name is José Luis Díez. I came to the Museo del Prado in 1988 as a curator for nineteenth century paintings. I joined the Museum when I was 27 years old, having passed my State-run exams two years earlier. My first position was at the Spanish Museum of Contemporary Art (MEAC) and then, later on, I was appointed as a curator at the Museo del Prado, in 1988. Since then I have been responsible for the collections of nineteenth century paintings, although in 2002 I was appointed Assistant Director of Conservation. In 2006 I returned to my post as Head of the Conservation Department for Nineteenth Century Works. This was until 2014, the year in which I left the Museum on leave of absence in order to occupy the post of Head of the National Heritage Royal Collections, a position I still hold today. In this respect, I have spent twenty-six consecutive years of my life at the Museo del Prado.