History of the Museum
Villanueva Building, Velázquez Entrance (Paseo del Prado Facade)
In addition, more outstanding paintings – which belonged to the Museo de la Trinidad – entered the Prado, among them The Fountain of Grace by the School of Jan Van Eyck,Saint Dominic Presides over an Auto de Fe by Pedro Berruguete, and five canvases by El Greco executed for the Colegio de Doña María de Aragón. Most of the Museum’s 19th-century paintings came from the former Museo de Arte Moderno, including works by the Madrazo, Vicente López, Carlos de Haes, Rosales and Sorolla.
More than 2,300 paintings have been incorporated into the Museum del Prado since its opening as well as a large number of sculptures, prints, drawings and works of art through bequests, donations and purchases, which account for most of the New Acquisitions. Particularly important was the Barón Emile d’Erlanger’s donation of Goya’s Black Paintings in 1881. Among the works that have entered the collection through purchase are some outstanding ones acquired in recent years including two works by El Greco, Fable and The Flight to Egypt acquired in 1993 and 2001, The Countess of Chinchón by Goya bought in 2000, and Velázquez’s Portrait of the man called ‘The Pope’s Barber’ acquired in 2003.
Important bequests have enriched the Museum’s collection. Among them we should mention the magnificent collection of medals bequeathed by Don Pablo Bosch’s, the vast collection of drawings and decorative arts that belonged to don Pedro Fernández Durán’s, and the Ramón de Errazu Bequest of 19th-century Painting.
Collection and visitors number increased greatly throughout 19th and 20th century. In order to accommodate them in a more accurate way, consecutive expansion projects were undertaken to the Villanueva’s building to the point that any further intervention was not longer possible. At this point, the Museum’s development was solved by constructing a new building located on a site facing the east facade of the Prado, and interconnecting the two buildings from within.
Extension of the Museo del Prado by architect Rafael Moneo
Coinciding in time with the execution of its latest and most ambitious expansion plan (2001-2007), the Museum’s latest efforts towards modernization took place in 2004 when changes of its legal and statutory framework were approved. These modifications were based on the need of providing the Museum with a more flexible management, speeding up its performance and increasing its capacity to self-finance. The Museum’s new status was made effective by the Museo Nacional del Prado Act, November 2003, and a subsequent amending Statute approved by Royal Decree, 12th March 2004.
