El Prado en femenino

The formation of the Prado Museum's collections is closely linked to the work of artistic promotion carried out by the most representative women of the European royal houses, from Isabella I of Castile to Isabella II. However, we often walk through its rooms without noticing that some of its masterpieces are the result of female patronage. With the aim of narrating the history of the Museum from a broader and more inclusive point of view, this itinerary directs its gaze and ours towards those women who commissioned some of the most emblematic works of art of this institution, women whose actions coincide with the years between the birth of Isabella the Catholic (1451) and the death of Isabella Clara Eugenia (1633). These queens, princesses, regents and governors, who played a fundamental role on the main stages of power, were largely responsible for the internationalisation of the Hispanic Monarchy.

This exhibition tour invites us, then, to explore new narratives, to discover stories as original as they are surprising, in which women are protagonists in their own right, as is the case here: that of these artistic promoters, patrons of the arts, women who made a powerful contribution to forming some of the most valuable collections in this Museum.