This captivating art exhibition delivered by the Prado Museum features 50 life-size photographic reproductions of the most iconic paintings from their collection. The open-air experience offers the public a chance to explore the various schools of painting that comprise the Prado’s permanent collection, providing insight into the history of Spain, Europe, and Western art through the works of the great masters. The Spanish, Italian, Flemish, French, German, and Dutch schools are represented by their key figures from the 12th century to the early 20th century.
Article by Sophie Gatward-Wicks
There is no entrance fee, no security restrictions and you can get up close and personal to the amazing replicas, taking as many photos as you like. The exhibition is further enhanced by the row of ten bronze Salvador Dalí sculptures that line the middle of the avenue, now flanked by the Prado Museum’s temporary installations. This is without a doubt, Marbella’s most artistic street, with the amazing backdrop of the sea in the background, and the greenery of Marbella’s Alameda central park on the opposite side.
The Prado Museum History & Collections
In 1819, King Ferdinand VII inaugurated the Royal Museum of Painting, which would later become the Prado Museum. The museum is housed in a grand neoclassical building that his grandfather, Charles III, had commissioned at the end of the 18th century for a Natural History Museum.
The core of the Prado’s collection comes from the Spanish royal collection, reflecting the long-standing tradition of the Spanish monarchy’s interest in the arts. This collection was used to embellish palaces and residences, serve diplomatic purposes, and decorate various religious institutions under royal patronage.
In 1872, the museum incorporated religious artworks from the Trinity Museum, which had been created as a result of the disentailment laws of 1835-36. In 1971, 19th-century works from the Modern Art Museum were also added. Additionally, the Prado has continuously expanded its collection through acquisitions, donations, and other incorporations.
Today, the Prado Museum safeguards more than 8,200 paintings. This exhibition in Marbella showcases 50 of its most important masterpieces.
See our birds-eye view of Marbella’s Avenida del Mar:
The Spanish School
The Spanish school of painting is the most extensively represented in the Prado Museum collection, boasting nearly 5,000 works. These span from the 12th century, with the mural paintings of San Baudelio de Berlanga, to the early 20th century, featuring creations by Aureliano de Beruete and Joaquín Sorolla. The collection, initiated by Charles V and Philip II, includes impressive examples from the medieval period and showcases the emergence and influence of the Renaissance style in Spain, with El Greco standing out with over 20 compositions.
The 17th-century Spanish Golden Age forms the largest and most celebrated part of the collection, featuring works by prominent artists such as Ribera, Zurbarán, Murillo, Alonso Cano, and Carreño de Miranda. The most significant of these are the nearly 50 works by Diego Velázquez displayed in the Museum.
Francisco de Goya is the leading Spanish artist bridging the 18th and 19th centuries. The Prado holds over 140 of his paintings, as well as an extensive selection of his drawings and engravings.
The 19th-century collection includes examples from various artistic movements, ranging from Neoclassicism to social commentary, and encompasses Romanticism and history painting.
The Italian School
The Italian school is the second largest in the Prado’s collection by the number of works. Most of these pieces originated from the royal collection, either directly commissioned by Spanish monarchs from Italian artists or painted at the Spanish court by Italian artists. This core collection has grown through subsequent purchases and donations.
While the 14th and 15th centuries (the Trecento and Quattrocento) are less extensively represented, the Prado boasts exceptional works from this period by Fra Angelico, Botticelli, Antonello da Messina, and Mantegna. The museum’s 16th-century (Cinquecento) collection includes notable pieces by Raphael, Andrea del Sarto, Correggio, and Parmigianino. The Venetian school, with masterpieces by Tintoretto, Veronese, and especially Titian, is particularly well-represented. Titian’s works for Charles V and Philip II significantly influenced the trajectory of Spanish painting.
The Prado’s collection of Italian Baroque art features important examples of three major trends of the period: the tenebrist naturalism of Caravaggio and his followers, the Bolognese classicism of Annibale Carracci and Guido Reni, and the decorative late Baroque style of Luca Giordano and Giambattista Tiepolo.
The Flemish School
Flemish painting holds a significant place in the Museo del Prado’s collection, both in terms of quantity and quality. The marriage of Princess Juana de Castilla, daughter of the Catholic Monarchs, to Philip the Fair, son of Emperor Maximilian of Austria and Mary of Burgundy, led to their eldest son, Charles of Ghent, becoming Charles I of Spain in 1517 and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, in 1519. This union brought the Low Countries under the Spanish crown.
The collection features works by prominent 15th-century artists such as Rogier van der Weyden, Robert Campin, and Hans Memling, as well as 16th-century masters like Joachim Patinir, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, and Anthonis Mor. Particularly notable are the pieces by Jheronimus Bosch, most of which were acquired by Philip II of Spain, who had a special interest in the artist’s work.
In 1581, the United Provinces (modern-day Holland) separated from Spain, while the Southern Netherlands remained under Spanish control. This region was home to Peter Paul Rubens, the foremost Flemish artist of the early 17th century, with the Prado housing around 90 of his paintings. Additionally, works by Rubens’ pupils, Van Dyck and Jacob Jordaens, are also on display.
Other Schools
With more than 300 works, French painting is the fourth most represented national school in the Prado. During the reign of Philip IV, leading figures of 17th-century French classicism, such as Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain, were commissioned to decorate the Buen Retiro Palace in Madrid, sending their works to Spain without ever visiting the country. The early 18th century saw the arrival of the Bourbon dynasty in Spain, bringing French painters and artworks from the French court.
The German school, despite Spain’s close ties with the Empire during the Habsburg period, is not extensively represented in the Prado. Noteworthy are the works of Albrecht Dürer, the greatest German artist of the 16th century, and Anton Raphael Mengs, who was invited to Spain by Charles III in the 18th century and significantly influenced his Spanish contemporaries.
Dutch painting of the 17th century is represented by just over 100 works in the Prado, with Rembrandt’s Judith being particularly notable.
Due to historical reasons, British painting is the least represented school in the collection, though there are significant examples of late 18th- and early 19th-century portraiture.
Last day: Sunday, July 28, 2024
Opening times: All day, every day
Entrance: Free
Location: Av. del Mar, Marbella, 29602
