The Prado Museum’s Unsung Workers Step Into the Limelight

El Prado is the temple I love to worship every time I have the chance to visit Madrid, and its workers are its guardian angels!

Thanks for the much needed spotlight on museum personnel. The Prado is the one of the greatest museums for many reasons, but the most important reason is the commitment of its staff at all levels to educate visitors.

During the1968-69 academic year I studied at the University of Madrid with a Junior Year Abroad program and took a year-long course on the history of Spanish art with the marvelous Profesor Azcárate. We were required to spend hours every week with our tutors at the Prado Museum. The visits were made all the more enjoyable because the museum guards and other personnel recognized all of us lowly students from week to week and were sure to greet us, shepherd us to the appropriate gallery for each session, and made sure that we were able to be front and center to view the art works with our tutors. Thanks for the memories!

In the 1980s, having degrees in visual art and art history, I was a so-called education officer at an important national museum. I frequently struck up conversations with security personnel, a few of whom by force of spending so many hours weekly in the museum observing its works of art, and of being interested in art, open-minded and intelligent, would have incredible and original insights into the works. So also did several children who would visit with their classes, visitors and teachers (though on one occasion when I was giving a tour to a group of high school art teachers of paintings on the theme of light, it being the Easter season, twenty minutes into the tour, the leader of the group, interrupted me and told me that they did not understand one word of what I was explaining!). I sometimes incorporated their ideas into my talks. However, on one occasion, the chief curator of contemporary art, overhearing me incorporate a previous child visitor's ideas about a Pollack work on glass, did not at all appreciate them and insisted the museum fire me, which it did. He was a dogmatist whereas I was pretty free-wheeling and associative in my interpretations. He was a curator, I an educator whose role was to suscitate thinking as well as knowledge about works of art. After being fired, I went on to become artistic director of an artist-run center; here a different sort of dogmatism was expressed, however.

I've always wondered what the custodians and guards of museum rooms and halls think about the art they wat ch over. If they even think about it. It must be so boring and trying to stand jup and walk around a couple of rooms or a hall hour by hour, day in day out (I do hope they rotate them around the museum). What do they think during those long hours? Do they wonder what people see in the art work? Do they listen to conversations? Or are they completely oblivious to it and could care less. Are they given any introduction and insight into the paintings and works to interest them a bit more? I wonder if any of them addresses these questions in the videos. But their perspective is surely interesting to me. They are the invisible and silent voices in the museum.

Thank you for this great article.

Good, no great, for all sorts of reasons.

You need months to get to know El Prado

Thank you for a wonderful, uplifting article. I loved the Prado and spent 3 days just wandering through the many rooms. It was awesome. Hopefully, we can return someday. In the meantime it will be interesting to visit on Instagram.

This is wonderful! One thing that's always occurred to me is that...whether at a museum, a municipal building, large office buildings, etc. the security guards are often overlooked. No one acknowledges them...no visitors say 'hello' or 'thank you'. The only time most folks talk to them is to ask 'where are the elevators?' Most security guards are not well-paid, have dangerous jobs to varying degrees (i.e., bank guards), are on their feet much of the day, and with only cursory interactions with patrons, visitors, etc. I always make it a point to acknowledge guards...saying 'hello' or 'thank you' as I depart. Just trying to do my own bit in paying it forward and creating some goodwill, in this thing called life... And now, more than ever, we need to be considerate to each other...

Thanks again for the photographs. We loved "Mr. Osuna and Democritus". And of course the image in the front page showing the selfie stick with a cellphone. That's eye-catching creativity. The wonderful people that work in the museum deserves a standing ovation too.

On a recent visit to the Frick Museum a lovely guard gave us a terrific explanation about several of the rooms and how they would have been used. We’ve been going there for years but now we see it in a new light.

This takes me back to my college summer study in Madrid. The Prado was my first experience of being able to wander from gallery to gallery without being herded in a large school group. It was bliss! Thanks for sharing this great way to reconnect with a favorite place.

I have been watching the videos at Museo del Prado Instagram account religiously for over a year. Javier’s work conducting these videos is impeccable. I learned so much, and decided to gather my accumulated air-miles and see all those extraordinary art works in person. Spent 16 hours in three days visiting all 99 rooms of the museum in Madrid. Best experience ever. I am so happy the NYT is highlighting this excellent use of social media by the Prado.

When I was in second grade we lived in Madrid and we would go here once a month. My mother would ask me what story is being said in the painting. I would tell her my thoughts and she would listen and smile. These are some of my favorite memories of my childhood.

Spain is one of the most democratically advanced countries (a "full democracy", according to the "Economist Intelligence Unit"--the US is not on this list) in the world--from the standpoint of women's issues to workers rights and politics, in general.This is a country where its regional and national parliaments and media allow for the free flow of ideas and representation of all points of view and ideologies. From what this article says, we can gleam that the workings of the Prado museum reflect that spirit.

I Love this!! I volunteer at an art museum, sometimes in an official capacity as a docent (who think they are the experts next to the curators), sometimes as a volunteer welcoming guests, and sometimes as a visitor at another art museum. My most memorable moments in front of a piece of art is when one of the guards or regular volunteers comment on the art and engage me in conversation. Also, was just yesterday talking to a fellow volunteer who expressed this very idea that we "lower levels of museum personnel" are the ones who are the first line in greeting the museum visitor, and have a lot of insight into the art, and maybe our insights could be made "official" rather than "unofficial". Visitors don't know the difference, and sometimes just want to let someone else know how much they love the art! Just sayin' to all you musuem curators, directors and docents out there.

As a young US Sixth Fleet sailor in 1967 I was given the opportunity to visit Madrid on a 72-hour liberty while my destroyer was tied up in Valencia. Wearing my uniform, I arrived at the Prado late in the afternoon and immediately headed to the Goya exhibit. I was alone except for an elderly guard who welcomed me as if I was a family member. Using his very limited English and my high school Spanish, he walked me from painting to painting pointing out highlights and offering commentary. I've visited dozens of museums since then, often accompanied by very knowledgeable docents, but this experience still stands out.

How wonderful is this...! The perfect use of social media. I just wish I spoke Spanish! In any case it's great to see the Prado again, even on Instagram. I'd love to go back someday.