One of the most important art galleries in the world. It houses works by the great masters of painting El Greco, Goya, Velázquez, Rubens, Zurbarán and Hieronymus Bosch. An unparalleled collection that spans from the Romanesque to the 19th century.
In 1819 The building that Juan de Villanueva had designed as the Natural History Office housed, thanks to the wife of Ferdinand VII, Doña Isabel de Braganza, an important part of the Royal Collections that over the years, Private donations and purchases expanded the museum's collections, reaching the 27,000 works of art that currently make up the Museum's collections. Its international renown is due to the painting collection that eclipses the collection of sculpture, drawings, prints and decorative arts that it also has.   ; The collection is based mainly on paintings from the 16th to 19th centuries, with paintings by artists such as El Greco, Murillo, Zurbarán, Goya and Velázquez. These last two figures shine with their own light, Goya with more than 140 works, including The Family of Charles IV, The Parasol, The » Majas", his famous black paintings. And as for Velázquez, in the Prado we will find, in addition to almost all of his most important paintings, Las Meninas, The Surrender of Breda, The Spinners or The Drunkards. Walking through the rooms you will also come across works by the great European masters from the Italian and Flemish schools to examples from the German or French schools. The list is spectacular: The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Hieronymus, The Annunciation by Fra Angelico, The Three Graces by Rubens, The Lavatory by Tintoret, Artemis by Rembrant, Emperor Charles V by Titian, The Descent by Van der Weyden. Since its inauguration, the institution has grown constantly, however the largest expansion in its history occurred in 2007. The new building, designed by architect Rafael Moneo, houses temporary exhibitions. Art is not the only thing that will call you. The attention to its interior, its original natural lighting system or the restored cloister of the Jerónimos church, are an attraction in themselves. same.
Monday to Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Sundays and holidays: from 10:00 hrs – 19:00 hrs
Reduced hours: from 10:00 hrs – 2:00 p.m. January 6, December 24 and 31
Free hours: Monday to Saturday from 6:00 p.m. – 20:00 hrs
Points of Interest