AT THE turn of this century the Prado, Spain’s premier art museum, slumbered in neglect. Limited opening hours and an almost complete lack of information about its paintings seemed calculated to put off visitors. Deliverance came with a law in 2003 granting it autonomy from the civil service. Before that the museum’s staff ran the place in their own interest and the director had little power, says Eduardo Serra, a former defence minister who as chair of the Prado’s trustees pushed the law through. To implement it he hired Miguel Zugaza, a shrewd manager, as director.
Miguel Falomir, who was appointed as Mr Zugaza’s successor on March 21st, inherits a Prado that is flourishing. It attracts 3m visitors a year. It has weathered state funding cuts: about 70% of its budget of €45m ($49m) now comes from tickets, merchandising, fees from foreign exhibitions and sponsorship. Above all, the Prado has shed its provincialism.
“It was very introverted,” says Mr Falomir, an expert on Titian. It used to mount exhibitions only of Spanish painting. When it branched out, with shows on Rubens and Titian, colleagues across...Continue reading
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