Prado. 21st Century

Over the past twenty-five years it can undoubtedly be said that among its different characteristics, the Museo del Prado has been defined by a consistent and successful strategy of adding works of art to its collections, whether through acquisitions, donations, bequests, deposits or other formats, with the result that it has become an open, vibrant and constantly evolving museum. These acquisitions have been of remarkable quality, including those on display in the rooms of this exhibition, some of them undisputed masterpieces. They range in date from the second to the twentieth century, encompassing the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Baroque and the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Also evident is the fact that the Museo del Prado is not simply a paintings gallery but also houses important examples of sculpture, both classical and from later periods. Furthermore, the collection’s scope extends beyond the year 1800 as some works date from long after, with a vigorous presence of the twentieth century.

European painting and sculpture up to the Renaissance

The chronological framework of the works from the Museum’s collection presented in this exhibition spans the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, with one example dating as far back as the second century AD in the form of the Roman sculpture from the Claudio Bravo donation, and as far forward as the twentieth century with Bust of a Woman by Picasso. This serves to remind us that the Prado is more than an exceptional paintings gallery and that its collection extends beyond the nineteenth century. A good example of the growing interest in strengthening the sculpture holdings that has emerged in recent years is the thirteenth-century Nicodemus on display in this room. Other acquisitions, notably The Wine of San Martin’s Day by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, have enhaced the holdings of thirteenth- to sixteenth-century Spanish and European painting. 

Renaissance and Baroque

The Museum’s holdings of Spanish art have been strengthened with the addition of works by Juan de Juanes, Alonso Berruguete, Luis de Morales and Pieter Kempeneer. The Flight into Egypt by El Greco (c. 1570) is another of the great treasures to be assigned to the Prado’s collections during these years, as are the unique A Lady in her Bath by the studio of François Clouet (c. 1566), and Portrait of a Girl with a Pigeon by Simon Vouet (c. 1620). The Spanish Baroque is represented by important works by Diego Velázquez, José de Ribera, Francisco de Zurbarán and Francisco Herrera the Younger. Once again, sculpture deserves special mention with two outstanding works by Juan de Mesa and Luisa Roldán.

The eighteenth century and Goya

Over the past twenty-five years the eighteenth-century collection has seen the addition of major works such as The Death of Adonis by François Boucher, Visit of Queen Maria Amalia of Saxony to the Arch of Trajan in Benevento (c. 1759) by Antonio Joli, and the magnificent portrait of José Nicolás de Azara by Anton Raphael Mengs (1774), in addition to several works by Luis Paret y Alcázar and Agustín Esteve on display in this room. An example of the focus placed on expanding the sculpture collection in recent years has been the acquisition of the delicate Apparition of the Christ Child to Saint Anthony of Padua by Nicola Fumo. Finally, and inevitably, the presence of Francisco de Goya has been enriched over this period with drawings, prints and the spectacular Countess of Chinchón (1800).

Nineteenth and twentieth centuries

The Museum’s nineteenth-century collection has continued to grow over the years in question with significant works such as the Diptych with 42 Views of Spanish Cities and their Monuments by Genaro Pérez Villaamil. Other paintings by Federico de Madrazo, Mariano Fortuny, Martín Rico, Darío de Regoyos and Hermen Anglada-Camarasa have been added to this important collection, in some cases works that reflect principles close to modernity that would subsequently define a significant part of the art produced in Spain in the twentieth century, represented in the Museum by the portrait of Manuel Bartolomé Cossío by Joaquín Sorolla (1908) and the watercolour Sunset (by Titian) (1992) by Ramón Gaya, among others. Gaya was a key figure in the renewal of twentieth-century Spanish painting for whom the Museo del Prado was a constant source of inspiration.

This final section of the exhibition includes examples of the important publishing activity undertaken by the Museo del Prado over the past twenty-five years, which can be described as outstanding both quantitatively and for its academic rigour. Also highlighted here are different aspects of the effective training activities taking place at the Museum’s Study Centre, founded in 2009 and a reference point in numerous fields of research and knowledge; the outstanding level of quality attained in recent times by the Area of Restoration and Technical Documentation, equipped with optimum technological and professional resources, which has placed it at the forefront of the most important restoration departments worldwide; the varied and up-to-date educational programme, which reaches all sectors of the public and addresses the most pressing debates of our time; the dynamic and rigorous national and international profile which the Museum has achieved in relation to all its different areas and aspects; and finally, the energetic and innovative communications strategy developed and implemented in recent years, which has been recognised with a series of awards and accolades. 

Writing about the museum: publishing activity

Since its creation in 2005, the Museum’s Publications Department has undertaken an essential activity, both quantitatively and qualitatively, in which the careful editing of texts and translations, the beauty of the design and the quality of the images is a constant goal. In recent years the Prado has significantly increased the number of publications it produces while diversifying and enriching its output with new editorial lines. It currently publishes around twenty books annually. Thanks to its English-language editions and its collaboration with the Library, Documentation and Archives Department, which has uploaded dozens of PDFs of these publications onto its Digital Library, the Publications Department also contributes to the commitment to preserving knowledge of the Museo del Prado’s collections and making it accessible to an ever-growing community of readers.

Research and training: the Study Centre

The mission of the Museo del Prado’s Study Centre, founded in 2009 and based in the Casón del Buen Retiro, is to make the Museum an international centre of reference for training and research in art history and museology, complementing the options offered by the university sector. 

The Centre’s activities are structured around four axes: academic initiatives such as the Prado Chair, symposia and lectures; grants and research stays; literary residencies, such as “Writing the Prado” and “Poets at the Prado”; training programmes such as the Summer School, aimed at university students, the Museum Management Programme, geared towards postgraduate students and professionals; and finally, R&D&I research projects within the framework of the Spanish Science, Technology and Innovation System, launched in recent years. 

Conserving and analysing: restoration and technical study of the collection

The Restoration and Technical Documentation Area at the Museo del Prado is undoubtedly one of the most internationally prestigious units within the institution. It comprises the painting, paper, sculpture and decorative arts studios, the Technical Documentation and Laboratory Service, and the Conservation and Restoration Unit for the Frame Collection. Its mission is to preserve the integrity of the works of art in the collection, either through preventive conservation or intervention on those works. The Restoration Area is equipped with state-of-the-art technology in terms of radiographic, infrared and tomographic studies, as well as 3D printers and more. Alongside its conservation work, the department’s research into techniques and materials is also very significant, yielding important results published in leading specialist journals and exhibition catalogues. 

Mediating and engaging: education at the Museum

The Education Department at the Museo Nacional del Prado has its origins in the Pedagogical Department, created in 1983 in response to the need to connect the collections with society at large. Over these more than forty years and particularly in the last quarter of a century, it has grown and adapted its projects, activities and methodologies to reflect societal changes and the evolving demands of its different publics. The department is responsible for disseminating a priceless heritage that belongs to us all through actions that transcend the purely artistic in order to emphasise universal values such as respect, equality, intercultural understanding and sustainability. With this in mind, the Education Department has evolved on the basis of its firm commitment to the community, aspiring to be a driving force for change towards a twenty-first-century museum without renouncing the great legacy and knowledge offered by the Prado’s unique collections dating from the fifth century BC to the early twentieth century. 

Sharing the collection: a museum without frontiers

In recent years, the Museo del Prado has achieved an extremely high profile both within Spain and internationally. The “Extended Prado” programme has aimed to increase the importance of the Museum’s collections deposited on long-term loan outside the main building by reviewing the criteria that lead to their assignation and developing a series of collaborative initiatives which have made it possible to work closely with the borrowing institutions. This programme has been complemented by others that have travelled across Spain, such as “Art that Connects” and “The Prado on the Street”, the latter also implemented internationally. The Museum has also been present with numerous initiatives in different parts of the world, including China, Japan and Australia, where it has held exhibitions and organised a range of other activities.

Visibility: the drive to communicate

A museum such as the Prado can be defined as a permanent, non-profit institution serving society, which researches, collects, conserves, interprets and exhibits its tangible and intangible heritage. Open to the public, accessible and inclusive, museums promote diversity and sustainability. They operate and communicate ethically and professionally, engaging with communities and offering a wide range of experiences for education, enjoyment, reflection and knowledge exchange. However, what has most evolved within the Museo del Prado over the past twenty-five years has been its communicative power which, from the perspective of that activity, has transformed the Museum into a true content factory that makes use of the widest range of channels to generate initiatives which help to articulate its unique identity and make that identity visible to all sectors of the public.