The Museo del Prado is one of the most famous museums in the entire world. Located in Madrid, Spain, the Museo del Prado is a national treasure and holds a collection of some of the finest masterpieces in recorded art. Some of the most famous pieces at the Museo del Prado pertain particularly to masterpieces in Spanish art such as: Las Meninas by Velasquez, The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest by El Greco, The 3rd of May 1808 in Madrid: The Executions on Principe Pio Hill by Goya y Lucientes, and The Three Graces by Rubens. Though the Museo del Prado’s collection numbers high in the thousands, the main building of the museum only possessing the space to display 1,000 works at a time. Usually, approximately 3,000 works from the museum’s permanent collection are on loan to other organizations or institutions and the remaining 12,000 works are kept in storage and rotated periodically.
The history of the Museo del Prado goes back to November of 1819 when it opened its doors to the public as the The Royal Museum. It was opened to display and glorify the achievements of Spanish artists, particularly painters, and prove to the world that Spanish art could attain the heights of the art accomplishments of other great civilized nations. It was also used as a public gallery to house the holdings of the Spanish crown. Some of the large additions to the permanent collection of the Museo del Prado were obtained due to the closings of other museums, particularly the Museo de la Trinidad and the Museo de Arte Moderno.
Special exhibitions are frequently planned at the Museo del Prado as a way to display more of their permanent collection as well as display other artwork on loan from art organizations around the world. Some of the special exhibitions at the Museo del Prado highlight works connected by a single theme created by particular Spanish artists like the exhibition of Velasquez’s work which focuses on fables, mythology, and religious history. Other exhibits may highlight the Museo del Prado’s own past, such as the 2007-2008 exhibit titled “The 19th Century in the Prado”.
The Collection of the Museo del Prado is divided roughly by medium. The main category listings are Origins, Painting, Sculpture, Prints and Drawings, and the Decorative Arts.
The Museo del Prado is also very focused on providing other services for its visitors such as seminars and workshops to expand the art education of the community.
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