Private Prado Museum Tour

Overview

Accumulated by the Spanish monarchy over centuries of extraordinary wealth and power, the Prado is one of Europe's leading art museums and Through Eternity is excited to bring the collection to life for you in our exclusive guided tour. Enjoy one of the finest art collections in Europe and a place we at Through Eternity believe is essential on any visit to Madrid. Marvel at the works of Goya, Velázquez, and El Greco with your expert guide.

Description

Before the British Empire was described as the “Empire on which the Sun never sets”, that title belonged to the Spanish Empire. From the Philippines to Peru, the overflowing wealth of the colonies gathered through conquest, taxes, and slavery eventually made its way to Spain. Through the great port of Cadiz, eventually all the way to the capital Madrid. Walking through the halls of the Prado is a journey through the story of that empire and how it made modern Spain. From its apogee to its gradual decline, you can learn the story through paintings and art.

Some highlights of your tour with Through Eternity include:

Hieronymous Bosch: The Garden of Earthly Delights

Standing in front of Hieronymus Bosch’s paintings can put one in mind of a fever dream, myriad characters, some banal and most fantastical run all over the frame. There is no better example of this then the triptych of his Garden of Earthly delights. Bursting with allegory and allusion, sometimes bizarre and unnerving, this painting is never anything but interesting. To try and understand it (if it is possible), your best bet is with an expert guide from Through Eternity, who can guide you from its unicorns to its pigs dressed as nuns. Don’t believe me? Go and see it.

The Golden Age Paintings

From Columbus’s voyage to the Americas up until the start of the 18th Century, Spanish art flourished under the patronage of the wealthiest monarchs in Europe. Diego Velázquez, El Greco and Francisco de Zurbarán found favor and brought Spanish art to a new level. Experience this artistic peak with your guide while exploring the subtle secrets of Velásquez's Las Meninas and the haunting gaze of El Greco’s Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest amongst many others.

Goya and the Fall of Empire

Francisco de Goya painted a Spain far different from the golden age of Velázquez. Ravaged by the Napoleonic wars and internal strife, his paintings are dark. Literally dark, with the so-called “Black Paintings” making up one of the most affecting parts of the Prado. Goya is sometimes described as the last of the Old Masters and the first of the New. It is a dark modernity that Goya portrays, but one that demands to be seen. Any trip to the Prado is incomplete without your seeing his work, and the best way to understand it is with a guide.

Our Tour

Through Eternity’s tour of the Prado museum includes the highlights listed above as well as many more in between. Just like the Louvre or the Vatican Museums, the Prado is far too big to cover everything on one tour, but our expert Through Eternity guides will be happy to adapt the tour to cover some hidden gems or the particular interests of the group. We look forward to welcoming you on our guided tour of the Prado museum on your next trip to beautiful Madrid.