The Prado Museum in Madrid. Prado (Museum), Spain. Museo del Prado in Madrid - photo

There are places on the world map in which the concentration of works of art per unit area is sharply different from the average. These include the Louvre of Paris, the St. Petersburg Hermitage. There are few museums in the world comparable to them. But they do exist.

Prado - Spanish treasury

In Madrid, too, there is a gallery with which, according to the collection of works of European, and especially Spanish artists , no collection can compare, in no city. The Prado Museum does not know equal in its wealth the works of Velazquez, Goya, Bosch and many other artists. It can be safely called the main attraction of the Spanish capital, and not to visit here means not knowing this country and not understanding its soul.

The Prado Museum (Madrid, Spain) is the peak of the "golden triangle"

The treasures of painting are concentrated on the Pyrenees in the three main galleries. The most famous art museums in Spain (Queen Sofia, Thyssen Bornemisse and Prado) form a kind of "golden triangle", attracting art lovers from all over the world. Even tourists who do not have a special interest in painting and sculpture visit these places of interest, and what they see produces such a strong impression that often changes their view of art and the whole surrounding world. And there is nothing surprising in this. Many of the pictures collected here are known all over the world and have a certain magic. Their subjects capture, the fate of the authors are tragic and mysterious, like the stories of these works, which have magnetic properties for the unsophisticated. Connoisseurs also want to see with their own eyes the paintings they know about the reproductions and enjoy this discovery. After all, no polygraphy, even the best quality, does not give a complete idea of the skill of the artist.

Basis of the collection of painting

The collection of kings has been accumulating for more than three hundred years. Paintings of Spanish and foreign artists were purchased for cathedrals and churches, their themes were mostly religious, but the expansion of cultural and economic ties of Spain contributed to the genre diversity. Titian was the favorite painter of Charles, with the collection of his canvases the foundation of the modern exposition begins. In 1548, the artist received a "secular" order for a portrait of the king in honor of the victory at the Battle of Mühlberg. At the same time, the paintings of famous European painters were acquired.

Until the 17th century, the sight of paintings was accessible only to the nobility. Art was considered the lot of the elite, there were no museums or art galleries in Spain, and the first public exhibition on the royal will was to receive a natural-science direction. For her already chosen place - Prado Park in Madrid. Construction began in 1785, but it was not completed immediately. Charles III died, and his successor, King Charles IV, did not consider the museum as such an important matter to generously finance it. At the beginning of the XIX century, Napoleon was attacked by Bonaparte, and it was not at all culture. The building was damaged by the invasion, and a decision was made on its new appointment. From the palaces of Madrid and Aranjuez, royal art treasures were to be brought here.

Birth of the gallery

The Napoleonic Wars were over, and four years later, in 1819, the Prado Museum in Madrid was opened. Philip II, unlike Charles V, lived in Spain, and moved his father's collection from Brussels to the capital. Then the paintings were relatively few, slightly more than three hundred, but they were the basis of the gallery.

Philip II did much to make the Prado Museum in Madrid one of the best European collections of works of art. Like Charles V, he was a connoisseur of the Italian school, in the years of his reign the collection was replenished with works by Tintoretto, Bassano, Veronese and many other painters. Philip paid tribute to Hieronymus Bosch, acquiring his canvases, including the best of them, the Garden of Delights. At the same time, the walls of the museum were decorated with masterpieces by Albrecht Durer and Montaigny.

The Dutch diplomat Rubens successfully combined the state service with the creation of immortal canvases. Arriving in Spain in 1628, he sold the paintings to the King, written here, and his other paintings adorned the Prado Museum in Madrid later, after the death of the artist.

Expanding the exposition

As time passed, the status of the royal assembly became tight for Prado. The exposition expanded, in the second half of the XIX century, it was enriched with paintings from the Escorial and some monastic assemblies. Since 1868, the Prado is a museum of Spain, belonging no longer to the royal dynasty, but to the entire country, with national status.

Significant was the event that occurred in 1927. Maecenas and one of the greatest collectors, Don Cabanes made a generous gift. The canvas "John the Evangelist", depicting the beloved disciple of Christ, was enriched by a rich collection of paintings devoted to the New Testament themes, which the Prado Museum in Madrid is so famous for. Pictures of this painter adorn the hall reserved for them along with the works of other Spanish masters. Extensive collection of old Dutch authors.

New architectural solutions and olden time

In connection with the constant replenishment and expansion of the exposition at the turn of the past and the current centuries, the question of increasing the area became topical. The project of Rafael Monet was pleasant for the basis of the reconstruction plan, and as a result of its implementation in 2007 new buildings appeared that met all modern requirements, and at the same time harmonizing with the old part. The Prado Museum in Madrid today is a single architectural ensemble, including the San Jeronimo monastery, built in the 18th century, modern buildings and main galleries. The work was not cheap, their estimate was more than a hundred and fifty million euros, but the result is worth the money.

The combination of ancient Spanish architecture with the latest achievements of modern architecture produces a joyous impression, denoting the continuity of the epochs and the eternity of the great art.

The entrance to the museum and its plan

No tourist who visits Madrid, does not pass the central part of the city where the Prado Museum is located. Orientation can serve as the Sibeles Square, Atocha station, there is also a very beautiful botanical garden.

For convenience and systematization of examination of the exposition, the administration developed a route. Visitors enter the gates of the Puerta los Gheronimos, then follow the central hall of the museum. On the ground floor there are collections of Flemish and Spanish paintings. They occupy the entire first floor together with a collection of works by Italian and French artists of the 16th-17th centuries located in the northern wing. Enter the museum and you can through other gates, named after the brilliant Spanish painters Murillo and Goya.

The second floor is entirely devoted to Rembrandt and Rubens. From there, the staircase again descends, the exhibition of the art of the "Golden Age", presented by Velazquez, Murillo and El Greco, begins. Pictures of the great Goya are on both floors, on the second there is his "black painting". In the central part of the museum all the epochs of European art are presented, up to the masterpieces of the XIX century.

To visit the Prado and see the "Three Graces"

It is almost impossible to view all the Prado's works in one visit, some of them stop, attracting attention for a long time. True lovers of painting who came here are not "for a tick", repeat the visit repeatedly, preferring to spend all the free time in the gallery. As in other great treasures of world culture, there are also works that have become a kind of "visiting card", according to which a connoisseur will always be distinguished by the Prado Museum in Madrid. Photos and reproductions of the "Garden of Earthly Delights" by Bosch, "Triumph of Death" by Brüchel, "David and Goliath" by Caravaggio became symbols of this gallery. There are other masterpieces, look at which come fans of high art from around the world. "The removal from the cross," written by Vander Weiden, the Rubens' Three Graces, and, of course, Goya's "Black Paintings" can not leave anyone indifferent.

How expensive will it be to visit the Prado

Nowadays, international tourism has become accessible not only to the moneybags, but also to the people of average prosperity. Unlike rich people, they have to think about saving during the trip, but, as you know, love of art is not always directly proportional to the amount of income. To the credit of the leadership of the Prado Museum, one should note the democratic nature of the cost of entrance tickets to this remarkable art gallery. You can visit it for 14 euros, the most expensive (23 euros), this pleasure will cost those who want to use the services of a guide, but there are several reliable ways to reduce the cost of communication with the beautiful. The last two hours on Sundays, admission is free. Elderly citizens and students from the united Europe, teachers and journalists also pass freely. Students from other countries pay a symbolic amount of three euros, which is less than the cost of a cup of coffee in Madrid. In addition, there are other actions, which you can find at the ticket offices of the museum. Employees are friendly and will always help to choose the most economical time for visiting the Prado. Particularly interesting is that children are admitted here for free, and those who do not reach the age of eighteen are considered such.

Infrastructure Prado

In addition to exhibition halls, there is all the necessary infrastructure. Modern sculptors have the opportunity to present their work in the gallery, designed for seasonal exhibitions. One of the best restoration workshops in Europe has been created, where there are conditions for carrying out especially thorough restoration works both for own exhibits and for rendering assistance to other world museum funds.

Do not remain forgotten and visitors. Considering that one day can not be enough to visit the Prado and get acquainted with its treasures, and guests spend many hours there sometimes for several days in a row, they are provided with conditions for rest. You can eat in the restaurant and cafe. There are shops where tourists buy souvenirs for memory. The park adjoining the exhibition complex serves as a resting place for visitors, tired, but happy.