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The creation of the collections of the Museo del Prado is closely linked to the artistic patronage undertaken by some of the most prominent female figures of the Spanish monarchy, from Isabella I of Castile to Isabel II.

Nonetheless, it is easy to pass through the Museum’s galleries without observing this fact and without appreciating that some of its masterpieces are the result of women’s support for the arts.

To mark International Women’s Day, the Museo del Prado is bringing together leading international specialists for a symposium which will aim to draw attention to the women who promoted, collected and inspired some of the Museum’s most iconic works: women whose activities, dating between 1451 and 1633, coincide with the period between the birth of Isabella the Catholic and the death of Isabel Clara Eugenia. These queens, princesses, regents and governors played a key role not just with regard to the promotion of works of art but also in the principal settings of power and were largely responsible for the internationalisation of the Spanish monarchy.