Navigating the Prado’s Collection
Where do I even start?
There is a reason that the Museo Nacional del Prado is considered “one of the leading institutions of its kind in the world.” It houses an extensive body of over 10,000 artworks, with only around 2,000 on display in the museum itself. The collection features a variety of paintings by old masters, like Hieronymus Bosch, Titian, El Greco, Rubens, Diego Velázquez, and Francisco de Goya. The sheer quantity of works alone can seem daunting if you have very little time in the Prado, but it is even more so if you’re not quite sure where to start. There are many recommended tours and lists on the internet that claim to outline the must-see works that reside within the walls of the museum. However, there is much more to the Prado’s collection than just its most well-known works of art. (Although there’s also a reason those paintings are considered masterpieces.)
What is unique about the collection of the Prado is that it is made up principally of pieces that were part of the royal collection of the monarchs of Spain. Throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, they collected and commissioned artworks according to their assorted tastes. For this reason, the Prado might be called “a museum of painters not of paintings.” There are a plethora of works by certain artists that were favorites of the monarchy — like Titian, Rubens, and Velázquez, among several others — but there are also many other remarkable artists that aren’t as well represented. Nevertheless, even of those artists who aren’t a principal part of the collection, the works that the museum does possess are of exceptional quality.
Before coming to the Prado, I didn’t appreciate all of this. The main thing that I knew about their collection was that they had Rogier van der Weyden’s Descent from the Cross, and that was number one on my list of things to see. Apart from that, the only other work that I knew I had to see was Las Meninas. It is actually almost embarrassing to admit how little I knew about the extent of their collection. I didn’t even realize they had Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights or Goya’s Black Paintings. If that fact had registered sooner, I clearly would have had a longer list of things to see. However, I should have known the Prado had these works because of this simple fact: as an art history major, when you learn about an important piece of art, you always talk about what collection it is in. I’m sure that when I learned about these artworks in class we talked about them being in the Prado collection, but obviously, I had forgotten. So — deep down somewhere — I knew the Prado housed a fantastic collection; I just didn’t comprehend the extent of it. Of course, I wanted to remedy that as soon as possible.
To accomplish that objective and to get to know the layout of the museum better, I decided to do a few of the tours recommended on the Prado’s website for if you only have a certain amount of time in the museum. I wanted to verify what pieces of their collection they recommend to someone coming to see the museum for the first time, who perhaps may never have the opportunity to visit it again. (At least that is the audience I assume they are targeting.) Three itineraries on their website offer a list of works to see if you have a limited amount of time — one, two, or three hours — in the museum. Each itinerary includes a list of artworks, ranging from just 15 (if you only have one hour) to 54 (if you have three hours). They include pieces that span from the ages of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture to the paintings of Francisco de Goya and other artists of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. And while there is not a very logical order to the works on each list, these itineraries can serve as an excellent jumping-off point to get you moving and allow you see several different areas of the museum.
The artworks on the lists aren’t organized by room, some in their numerical order being spread as far apart as opposite sides of the museum or on completely different floors (even though some other pieces on the list are much closer or even in the same room). Taking that into account, I had to sit down with a map before I started each itinerary and mark where each work was and the path I would take through the museum so that I wouldn’t be running back and forth. This was extremely useful because it helped me to keep track of where I’d been and what I’d seen, and it prevented me from getting too lost. There is admittedly quite a lot to see and explore in the museum, and it can most definitely be overwhelming if you don’t go in with a plan. And — I’ll admit — sometimes it can even be nice to have an outside source to tell you what’s important to look at, even if you don’t really know why it’s important.
But of course, while following the path through the museum that I had created for myself based on these itineraries, I stumbled upon other artworks that captured my attention and made me stop and take a closer look. Many of these works were far more appealing to me than some of the ones on the list I was following. That’s the thing. . . Although it can be nice to follow a list of the “most important” things to see, all that stuff is relative. While an artwork certainly may be a key part of the museum’s collection, that doesn’t mean it will be anything remarkable for me personally. While I may be able to appreciate it as a well-executed work of art, there might not be much more to it for me beyond that. There are some works that you walk up to, and they leave you with an indescribable feeling that makes you want to stand there all day. On the flip side, there are some that you couldn’t care to look at twice. However, whether an artwork provokes one reaction or the other varies from person to person.
For that reason, I don’t want to produce a list of the works you absolutely must see in the Prado. There are already plenty of those lists out there, and I don’t suppose my adding one more would really make much of a difference. Instead, I hope to highlight what it is to have a personal experience with a piece of art — a thing that isn’t always possible when you’re fighting to catch a glimpse of it over the heads of fifty other people who are also there to see the museum’s “most important” masterpieces. While a list of important artworks to see can be a decent place to start, it can only get you so far. Sometimes breaking away from a predetermined list and simply taking in the artworks around you can be the best experience. And very often, one piece of art thoroughly appreciated is much more fulfilling than fifteen masterpieces checked off the list as seen. What is important is to discover the art that speaks to you. So try letting go of the lists just a little. . . You might be surprised by what you’ll discover.
