The official opening of the museum Prado was organized on 19th November 1819. At that time the museum had only 311 paintings from Spanish painters. The number of works is constantly growing. Paintings from the Italian school were brought in the large gallery, so after six years the museum had 755 paintings.

MUSEUM OF FERDINAND VII

German painter Anton Raphael Mengs had a prominent position at the court of King Charles III and under his influence the king got interested in science and art. The King made a decision to equip a building that belonged to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts to place artistic and scientist collections there and to raise a museum next to it.

The construction of the museum Prado (Spanish Prado – “Meadows”) from the 18 century was not very smooth. The reason for the delay was the death of Charles III in 1788. However, in the early 19th century plan of building the museum began to receive an official form.

When the Museum Louvre in Paris was established in 1791, Spanish government ordered the transfer of Murillo paintings from Seville to Madrid. The tendency of opening museums next to palaces was followed by all European countries. This idea was widely accepted in high government circles. Napoleon’s intervention in Spain and the appropriation of the Spanish throne had an impact on the achievement of this plan. Thus in August of 1809 the Museum Prado was founded in Madrid.

Nationalization of the Museum

Architectural building of the Museum Prado also deserves special attention because it is a bright example of Classical art in Spain.

Elegant lines, harmonious proportions, the height of the walls, dimensions of the hall are exactly as they should be in one magnificent museum area. In 1930, a magnificent rotunda was constructed in the basement of the Museum Prado. This outstanding architectural achievement is with no natural light. Additional parts of the building built in the 19th and the 20th centuries have not violated the harmonious appearance of the building.

Until 1868 the museum was getting most of the works from the royal collections. However, when it was nationalized after the revolution, painters were in charge of it. The most significant event in the life of the Museum Prado is the creation of the patronage in 1912. This patronage decided to extend the building with additional 24 rooms. The expansion was completed in 1920. The main gallery was changed, the central stairway was built and two new buildings with 16 halls were attached.