
The Prado Museum, Spain’s Cultural Jewel, Turns 200 - prismatic
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/28/arts/design/prado-museum-madrid-200-anniversary.html
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sergeyk
If you find yourself in Madrid, you will not regret making time for the Prado.
Whereas some museums, like the Hermitage, go for quantity, the Prado seems to
pride itself on extreme curation. It did not feel like a huge museum (at least
the tour of it that I did), but every single room had at least one true
masterpiece.

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adilmoujahid
Also make sure to check out Reina Sofia museum. It's a walking distance from
the Prado and it has master pieces from Picasso and Dali

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JorgeGT
The following quote is perhaps telling, in it Azaña, (president of the
Republic) tells Negrín (prime minister, overseeing the evacuation due to the
civil war) that:

> _The Prado Museum is more important for Spain than the Monarchy and the
> Republic altogether... consider the embarrassment if the paintings were
> missing or seriously damaged... you would need to shoot yourself._

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ggm
Well worth a visit. Queue early, bring water in summer: its hot waiting
outside.

If you do get in early, consider heading to the diagonally opposite top
corner: its where a lot of really nice stuff is you'll want to linger over,
and you can avoid a crush and then backtrack.

I was totally surprised by some gems in the collection. Pre-raphelite works.
Don't miss rooms, give everything its due.

The Thyssen is also another must-see.

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decasteve
And add the National Archaeological Museum to that list. All within walking
distance.

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cs_advice
And the naval museum. It's really amazing and not so famous. It's 175 old and
has the map of Juan de la Cosa, the earliest preserved map of the Americas.
And since 2007 the museum has hosted a specimen of moon rock from the Apollo
17 mission.

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steerpike
Will happily concur with the many voices in this thread advocating a visit.
The Prado is absolutely one of the world's great gallery experiences. Make
sure to check out Hieronymus Bosch's triptych 'Garden of Earthly Delights'
which they've thoughtfully placed a sofa in front of so you can really sit and
enjoy it.

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empath75
There is a restored copy of the Mona Lisa there, painted at the same time as
the one in the louvre, from a slightly different angle. It’s great— hardly
anyone is there to get in your way if you want to see it.

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GlenTheMachine
Goya’s black paintings. Stunning.

