Europe has many excellent art museums, but Madrid's
El Prado Museum has to be rated as one of the very best. Originally built
to be a science museum at the end of the 17th century, El Prado became
one of the world's first public art museums when opened in 1819 to house
the Royal art collection. Today, some 1,500 works of art are on display,
but El Prado has more than 9,000 works of pieces of classical art in its
extensive collection, which are displayed on a rotational basis.
The museum is situated on Paseo del Prado at the southern end of Madrid's
main North-South artery, about midway between the Atocha train station
and the "Cibeles" fountain at where Alcalá crosses Paseo
de Recoletos , and the detail
map as well). The above photograph (taken on 4 Jan 1997) shows the
current main entrance (while renovation proceeds on the main facade) at
the Plaza de Murillo on the south end of the building.
What to see
The Prado has become a mecca for classical art lovers from around the
world. In addition to the great Spanish masters, you'll also find some
of the best of Flemish and Italian schools:
- Spanish artists include the great masters Velázquez,
El Greco and Goya, as well as Murillo, Zuloaga, Sorolla, Rivera and many
others.
- The Flemish school is represented by such greats as Van Dyke,
Durer, Bosch, Rembrandt and Rubens.
- Italian artists on display include some of the most famous:
Titian, Botticelli, Rafael, Tintoretto and others.
While it's hard to pick out the best from such an outstanding collection,
El Prado boasts most of the major works of Velázquez, including
Las Meninas (Maids of Honor) and Las Hilanderas (Spinners);
some superb works by the great El Greco and an excellent selection
of Goya's splendid portraits and some of his truly surprising and
haunting "Black Period" works.
Other information
- El Prado is not far from the Madrid's city center and easily reachable
by bus or Metro - check the map, for more specifics.
- The museum's open from 09:00 to 19:00 Tuesday-Saturday, 09:00-14:00
Sundays and public holidays. Admission for adults is 400 pesetas (less
than $3), and 200 pesetas for students.
Information Links: Museums in Madrid
El
Prado Museum
From the Cyberspain Guide - good info on the museum with examples of the
most famous paintings.
Madrid's best museums
TimeOut guide to Madrid's finest museums: El Prado and more
