On 6 June the Prado Museum reopened its doors to the public with a unique exhibition that will run until 13 September. The show, which involved the relocation of more than 190 pieces of artwork, is reminiscent of the type of display that was showcased when the museum first opened its doors.
The majority of the museum's most important works will be on display in and around the Central Gallery, an iconic space filled with natural light and large enough to easily comply with the hygiene measures needed to a safe environment for the public.
Juxtaposed for the first time, The Annunciation by Fra Angelico and The Descent from the Cross by Rogier van der Weyden welcome visitors to an installation particularly rich in exceptional dialogues. The two versions of Saturn by Goya and Rubens can now be seen side by side while Las Meninas and The Spinners share space in Room XII alongside an exceptional “polyptych” of Velázquez’s Buffoons.This special and unprecedented experience kicks off with Emperor Carlos V and the Fury by Leone and Pompeo Leoni, and continues with The Descent by Van der Weyden and The Annunciation by Fra Angelico; brought together for the first time to welcome visitors to an installation particularly rich in exceptional dialogues. The versions of Saturn by Goya and Rubens can be seen side by side, as well as works by Bosco, Patinir, Titian, Correggio, Rafael, Juan de Flandes, Veronés, Tintoretto or Guido Reni, portraits by Titian, and The Maids of Honour and The Spinners share space in Room XII, alongside an exceptional “polyptych” of Velázquez’s Buffoons.
The exhibition, made up of 214 works by the likes of Hieronymus Bosch, Patinir, Titian, Correggio, Rafael, Juan de Flandes, Veronese, Tintoretto and Guido Reni, follows a principally chronological order, from the 15th century until the dawn of the 20th century. Given its exceptional nature, however, the emphasis on national schools has been reduced in favour of establishing dialogues between artists and paintings separated by time and place: associations that suggest influences, admiration and rivalries and which emphasise the profoundly self-referential nature of the Museo del Prado’s collections.
Image Credits:
- The Descent. Rogier van der Weyden. Oil on Panel, 204.5 x 261.5 cm. Before 1443. Prado National Museum, Madrid
- The Annunciation. Fra Angelico. Tempera on Panel. 162.3 x 191.5 cm. Ca. 1426. Prado National Museum, Madrid
- The Spinners or the Fable of Arachne. Diego Rodríguez de Silva and Velázquez. Oil on Canvas. 220 x 289 cm. 1655-1660. Prado National Museum, Madrid
Following its reopening after the coronavirus pandemic, opening hours will be the same as before except for Sundays when the museum will close two hours earlier, at 5pm instead of 7pm. For the time being, they are opening a quarter of the museum to the public and the number of daily visits is set at a third of the galleries’ normal capacity.
Access to the museum is through Goya Entrance (except for Friends of the Museum and people who require assistance who will do so through Jerónimos Entrance). Visitors will then exit through the Murillo Entrance, next to the Botanical Gardens.
All tickets, including free ones, must be purchased online from the museum’s official website in order to avoid queues and crowds.
Prices while the museum remains only partially open (8 June to 15 September) are the following:
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