Prado Museum

Originally designed by Juan de Villanueva in 1785 as the Natural History Cabinet, the building that now houses the Museo Nacional del Prado in Spain underwent a significant change in purpose thanks to Ferdinand VII and his wife, Queen María Isabel de Braganza. The couple decided to convert the building into a new Royal Museum of Paintings and Sculptures, with the aim of showcasing Spanish art to the rest of Europe and demonstrating its equal merit to other national schools. In November 1819, the museum opened to the public for the first time, with a catalogue that included 311 paintings, although the museum already housed 1,510 paintings from various royal residences.

Over time, the royal collection of paintings grew significantly, thanks to the efforts and determination of Habsburg and Bourbon monarchs, including Charles V. Today, the Museo del Prado is home to some of the world's most important art masterpieces, including works by Rogier van der Weyden, Hieronymous Bosch, El Greco, Raphael, Titian, Tintoretto, Dürer, Velázquez, Rubens, and Goya. The museum has undergone several renovations during the 19th and 20th centuries to accommodate the growing collection and increasing public demand to view it. The Museo Nacional del Prado continues to attract visitors from around the world, with its impressive collection and stunning building serving as a testament to the enduring value of art and culture.

The Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain, holds an extensive collection of art that includes works from the Spanish royal collection and pieces acquired from closed museums, legacies, donations, and purchases. The two Majas by Goya are among the notable masterpieces acquired by the museum. The collection grew with the incorporation of works from other museums, such as the Museo de la Trinidad and the Museo de Arte Moderno, which contributed paintings from renowned artists like El Greco and Sorolla. Over 2,300 paintings and other works of art have been added to the collection since the museum's creation, thanks to bequests, donations, and purchases. Notable donations include the collection of medals left by Pablo Bosch and Barón Emile d'Erlanger's gift of Goya's Black Paintings in 1881. Recent acquisitions include works by El Greco, Velázquez, Bruegel, and Fra Angelico. The museum has gone through several enlargements since its nationalization in 1868 and has become a prominent institution that houses a vast collection of masterpieces.

Between 1873 and 1900, the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain, played a significant role in decorating city halls, universities, and churches. During the Second Spanish Republic from 1931 to 1936, the focus shifted to developing provincial museums. However, during the Spanish Civil War, the museum staff was forced to remove hundreds of paintings and drawings upon the recommendation of the League of Nations, and the art had to be returned to the museum after World War II. During the early years of Francisco Franco's dictatorship, many paintings were sent to embassies.

Over time, the main building of the museum underwent several enlargements, including the addition of short pavilions in the rear between 1900 and 1960. The Casón del Buen Retiro, equipped to display up to 400 paintings, and the Salón de Reinos were later incorporated into the museum's institutional structure. However, a proposed extension in 1993 was abandoned after criticism, and a roof repair in the late 1990s forced the relocation of the Velázquez masterpiece Las Meninas twice. In 2007, the museum executed Rafael Moneo's project to expand its exposition room to 16,000 square meters, hoping to increase the yearly number of visitors.

The recent extension of the Prado Museum is an underground building that connects the main building to another entirely reconstructed one. The enlargement, designed by Norman Foster and Carlos Rubio Carvajal, is a $32 million project that will transform the Hall of Realms, which formed part of the Buen Retiro palace, into an extension of the Prado. The project will provide the museum with about 61,500 square feet of additional available space, of which about 27,000 square feet will be used to exhibit works. The building was acquired by the Prado in 2015 after serving as an army museum until 2005. The Spanish government approved the plans in 2021 and awarded the project 36 million euros.

During the reign of Charles III (Carlos III), a series of grandiose buildings were constructed in Madrid as part of an ambitious urban development project. Among these buildings is the Prado Museum, which was originally designed by José Moñino y Redondo, count of Floridablanca, and commissioned by Charles III in 1785 for the reurbanization of the Paseo del Prado. The renowned architect Juan de Villanueva, who also designed the nearby Botanical Garden and City Hall of Madrid, was tasked with overseeing the project.

The museum takes its name from the prado ("meadow") that formerly occupied the site. Construction was halted at the end of Charles III's reign and during the Peninsular War. It was only resumed during the reign of Charles III's grandson, Ferdinand VII, after the building had been used as a headquarters for cavalry and a gunpowder store for the Napoleonic troops in Madrid during the war.

The museum is now set to undergo further renovations, which will be carried out by the British architect Norman Foster. These renovations were approved in June 2020 and are expected to take at least four years to complete.

The Prado used to earn around $18 million annually until the early 2000s, with $15 million coming from the government and the rest from private contributions, publications, and admissions. However, in 2001, the conservative government led by José María Aznar decided to change the museum's funding model and establish a public-private partnership. This move required the Prado to gradually decrease its state funding from 80% to 50%, as per the new bylaws approved by the Cortes Generales in 2003. In exchange, the museum gained control of its budget, which is now about €35 million, and the ability to raise funds through corporate donations and merchandising. It's worth noting that the recent €150 million expansion of the museum was paid for by the Spanish government.

In 1991, the Prado received a significant bequest from Manuel Villaescusa, consisting of nearly $40 million worth of Madrid real estate that could only be used to acquire paintings. To generate income, the museum sold the buildings left by Villaescusa. This sudden influx of funds made the Prado one of the most formidable bidders for paintings worldwide.

From November 8, 2011 to March 25, 2012, the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg loaned a group of 179 artworks to the Museo del Prado. Notable pieces in this exhibition included Rembrandt's A Scholar (1631), Caravaggio's The Lute Player (c. 1596), Bernini's Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (1647), Matisse's Game of Bowls (1908), a bouquet of cornflowers by the House of Fabergé (c. 1900), Monet's Pond at Montgeron (1876), a belt buckle featuring a monster attacking a horse from Peter I's Siberian Collection (4th-3rd century BC), Caspar David Friedrich's Moonrise, Two Men on the Shore (c. 1900), Wassily Kandinsky's Composition VI (1913), and Giorgio Morandi's Metaphysical Still Life (1918).

Conversely, in a historic move, the Museo del Prado allowed an exhibition of its renowned collection of Italian masterpieces to be displayed outside of Spain for the first time in its 200-year history. The National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, hosted the exhibit from May 16, 2014, until August 31, 2014. Many of the works in this exhibition had never before left Spain.