Updatet on February 15th 2018
Address: Calle Ruiz de Alarcon 23, Madrid, 28014, Spain
Website: www.museodelprado.es
WHAT I LIKED: Touching the Prado (even though I did not see it)
WHAT I MISSED: accessible labels and programs for visually impaired people
Please click the IN SHORT button above for a summary.
Early June was the perfect time to visit Madrid: mild spring temperatures and sunshine with the feel of summer – an absolutely lovely time of the year in Spain's capital!
I loved this royal city with its boulevards, grand buildings and beautiful plazas, the hustle and bustle of Spanish daily life, tapas, sangria….in short: everything!
To top this delightful experience, I decided to visit the world famous Museo Nacional del Prado.
The Museum
This impressive building by architect Villanueva opened 1819 to the public and hosts one of the best collections of Spanish art and the former Spanish Royal Collection consisting mostly of European paintings and sculptures. It is one of the most visited museums in the world. It leads Madrid's “must see” list.
The museum owns the largest collection of works by Francisco Goya as well as art by Hieronymus Bosch. In addition, El Greco, Peter Paul Rubens, Titian and Diego Velázquez are some of the highlights of Prado's collection. You can see photos of some of these highlights here
Francisco de Goya: Niños con perros de presa, 1786
The Entrance
I was very excited to visit this museum and was curious how easy it would be for me to get around and explore the artwork. My guidebook warned that the lines at the ticket counter tend to be long. I was lucky though and obtained a ticket rather quickly. Nevertheless, I think that booking in advance is definitely a good idea!
You enter the museum through a modern entrance hall with a security check and you will find the information desk, the audio guide desk, the cloakroom, and the museum shop there.
At the information desk I was given directions in English, a map of the museum, and I rented an audio guide in English.
Hieronymus Bosch: El carro del heno, 1515
Labels, Audio Guide, and App
The spacious hallways make getting around easy but, as this is an old building, the beautiful signs and numbers of the rooms are hard to find and I could not read them at all.
I did find my way to specific rooms by studying the map with my magnifier and by simply asking.
Finally, in front of a painting I was interested in, I realized that there was no way for me to approach the label closely enough for me to read. Each painting has a railing in front of it to prevent people from coming too close.
Unfortunately the labels were within these boundaries and not accessible to me.
I did what I usually do in situations like these – I took a photo of the label and was able to read it on my phone using the zoom feature. This is very convenient and gives me the information I need, including the number for the audio guide.
Some gallery guards approached me and told me that I am not allowed to take photos in the museum. Resorting to some Spanish I managed to explain why it was necessary for me to take pictures of the labels. Many guards understood and would let me take label photos in their galleries. However, one guard called her supervisor who decided that I was not allowed to take such photos. He said that I would need to find a gallery guard to tell me the numbers of the audio guide, the painter´s name and the title of the work.
Imagine a visually impaired person trying to find the guard, who looks like any other visitor to me, in every gallery; then explain why and how I need his/her help (in Spanish; most guards I met did not speak English.) Nevertheless, in many cases it worked out and was a good experience, but in the end it was exhausting.
The audio guide is easy to handle and the texts are good. It even has audio descriptions for VIPs (only in Spanish!)
The museum offers several apps: the official guide to the Prado La Guía del Prado for tablets, and Second Canvas Museo del Prado for smartphones and tablets.
Update February 2018: while researching the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia I found The Essential Art Walk app which offers 8 masterpieces of the Prado, the Reina Sofia and the Thyssen-Bornemisza for free.
As my iPhone and iPad were recently updated to IOS11.0.3 I could not use the official guide on my iPad as the app needed to be updated. I never used the official guide app in the museum as I did not want to carry an iPad with me.
The Second Canvas app (small fee) offers you 14 high resolution photos of some of Prado's highlights, together with an audio guide and additional information. It is nice to use at home; you can appreciate the artwork in full detail in comfort.
Above: App Second Canvas
Below: Audioguide
Touching in the Prado
In order to make artwork more accessible for VIPs, the Prado created six reproductions of artworks (Touching the Prado) to be touched and perceived in greater detail. It was unfortunate that this highly interesting exhibition was touring Spain at the time of my visit.
Francisco de Goya: El tres de mayo 1808 en Madrid: Los fusilamientos en la montaña de Pio.1814
Last, but Not Least
If you are an art history lover visiting the Prado is an absolute must. Walking through the many galleries was amazing, as was recognizing so many world famous art works.
On the other hand, for me as a VIP visiting the Prado on my own, it was exhausting to get the information I wanted. It took me a long time to see even a small section of the museum.
I highly recommend visiting this fascinating museum, but suggest you are accompanied by a sighted person.
As I was not allowed to take photos in the museum, all photos of artworks are taken from postcards I bought in the shop.
Albrecht Dürer: Self portrait,1498
Francisco de Goya, La familia de Carlos IV, 1800
In Short