Bicentenary of the Museo del Prado

Regarded as the most important museum in Spain and one of the most important in the world, the Museo Nacional del Prado opened its doors for the first time in 1819. Designed by Juan de Villanueva, the building today houses 35,000 objects and a permanent collection of approximately 1,600 artworks. The ongoing celebrations, which started on November 19, 2018, will continue until December 31, 2019. As part of the occasion, none of the essential works are on loan so visitors have the opportunity to enjoy the most important pieces of the collection throughout a museum entirely filled with artworks. The museum currently presents the exhibitions "Fra Angelico and the Rise of Florentine Renaissance," "Alberto Giacometti," "A Painting for a Nation. The Execution of Torrijos" and "Their Majesties' Retiring Room." A collection like no other in the world consisting of nearly one hundred precious metal pieces, "The Dauphin's Treasure," amassed by Louis de France—also known as the Grand Dauphin of France, the son of Louis XIV—is exhibited in the rear section of the north wing, on the second floor. According to a statement by the museum, the institution's goal is "to celebrate the Museo Nacional del Prado as a great gift to the Spanish nation, and explain how it came to be that, as result of social and political events, a private collection conceived for the enjoyment of just a few people became the main cultural institution for the people of Spain."