The History Of The Prado Museum In 1 Minute

Located in the Spanish capital, Madrid, the Prado Museum is the country’s principal art museum and one of the three museums to form what is known as Madrid’s Golden Triangle. Largely considered one of the finest art museums in the world, it attracts approximately three million visitors each year who gather to admire its impressive collection of work, including a significant body of work by Spanish Old Masters such as Goya or Velázquez.
The history of the museum can be traced back to the 19th century when Ferdinand III and his wife, Queen María Isabel de Braganza, swayed the decision to open a Royal Museum of Paintings and Sculptures in the capital to exhibit the impressive royal collection. The museum was to be housed in a recently constructed palace which had been commissioned to the architect Juan de Villanueva by King Charles III as part of his project of urban renewal in Madrid. The museum first opened its doors to the public in 1819 and, exclusively exhibiting Spanish art, rapidly became a symbol of Spain’s artistic prowess and an object of national pride. The founding collection was composed of over 1500 pieces which had been collected by the Spanish royal family since as far back as the 16th century. In addition to the initial royal collection of works, a number of pieces were acquired from private collections as well as other, smaller museums which closed.