Prado Museum and The Cason del Buen Retiro

Without doubt, this city's and one of the world's most important museums since it opened in 1819 (when it became one of the world's first public art galleries), this massive collection is a testament to the centuries of devotion to art accumulation by the Spanish monarchy and church, and to the attitudes prevalent in the age of enlightenment when the Prado was conceived.
The building was designed by the neo- classic architect Juan de Villanueva, and is located on the Paseo del Prado, in one of Madrid's most attractive areas.
The Prado contains more than 9000 works, mainly paintings, of which only about 1500 can be displayed at any one time. While there is continual talk of the need for more space to display the remainder of the collection, with many nearby buildings having been assessed as possible candidates for this purpose, nothing concrete has yet been done in this regard. In the meantime, there is space in the museum dedicated to displaying on a rotational basis those works which are not on permanent exhibition. There are also conferences and courses in which archived works are often brought out.

---

Contact Information

Prado Museum and The Cason del Buen Retiro
Paseo del Prado s/n
28014 Madrid

Tel. +34913302900

http://www.museoprado.es