The Venus de Milo is a marble sculpture representing Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. It is considered one of the masterpieces of ancient Greece and is one of the most famous symbols in the history of art. But how did an armless statue become this icon of universal culture?

The Venus de Milo was found in 1820 on the island of Milo, Greece, by a peasant who sold it to a French collector. It is now in the Louvre Museum in Paris. Since its discovery, the Venus de Milo appeared incomplete, and despite this, it was immediately considered a masterpiece due to the beauty and balance in its design.

On the missing limbs, the sculpture's arms were originally at the hips, probably holding an object such as a harpoon or shield. Although several theories have been proposed as to how he lost his arms, the true cause is still unknown.

![](https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1363/532583261\_08b19e5bbb_b.jpg)

The Venus de Milo is known for its beauty and aesthetic perfection. The sculpture features a nude female figure with a narrow waist, round hips and a curved figure. The technique used to create the sculpture is impressive, and, furthermore this beauty and perfection, is one of the reasons for its fame as primitive tools were used to carve the marble. The sculpture is also remarkable for the delicacy of the lines and the fluidity of the figure, which makes it seem alive and real to many people since its discovery.

The Venus de Milo is also important in the history of art because of its influence on the representation of Venus in Western culture. The sculpture has been imitated and adapted numerous times throughout history, and has served as a model for many other Venus sculptures. It has also been used as a symbol of beauty and the feminine ideal in literature, film and popular art.

Another curiosity about the Venus de Milo is that it is believed to have been created in the second century BC by the sculptor Praxiteles, although there is no conclusive evidence for this. Although the sculpture is believed to be a representation of Venus, it has also been suggested that it could be a representation of the goddess Athena or the goddess of the hunt, Artemis.

<center>![](https://cdn.culturagenial.com/es/imagenes/diseno-sin-titulo-14-cke.jpg)</center>

The Venus de Milo has also been the subject of controversy in the past due to its acquisition by France. The sculpture was purchased by the French government in 1820, but some have questioned the legality of the purchase due to the lack of documents supporting its sale. Despite this, the Venus de Milo has remained in the Louvre Museum ever since and is one of Paris' most popular tourist attractions.

Furthermore, in the 1950s, it was the subject of an attempted robbery by a group of thieves seeking to sell it on the black market. Although they were unsuccessful in the robbery, the incident highlighted the importance and value of the sculpture.

The Venus de Milo is one of the masterpieces of ancient Greece and one of the best known symbols of art history. Its beauty, balance and impressive technique make it a work worthy of admiration. All this, together with its influence on the representation of Venus in Western culture and its importance in the history of art, make a statue without arms a unique and valuable piece.

If you want to know other facts about the Louvre Museum and get information about the greatest works of art such as the Venus de Milo that houses the main museum of Paris and France, we recommend ["The Louvre Art Guide" already available on Amazon by clicking here.](https://www.amazon.es/dp/8418943424/) If you prefer to buy it in bookstore, [**find your nearest bookstore by clicking here.**](https://www.todostuslibros.com/libros/museo-del-louvre-guia-de-arte\_978-84-18943-42-3)

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Venus de Milo: why is an armless statue the most iconic in art?

Raphael, besides being a great painter, had the reputation of being a courteous, charming man with a great sense of humor. However, he also reaped the fame of being a seducer, a condition that, according to historical tradition, would eventually lead him to his grave.

"Rafael was a very amorous person and fond of women, continuously devoted to their services. His friends observed with respect his fondness for carnal pleasures, for being a very confident person," says Giorgio Vasari in his classic *Lives of the best Italian architects, painters and sculptors*, a book of the time where he attributes the cause of his death to the uncontrolled fieriness of the master.

## Did Raphael die from an excess of sex?

Was the great genius of the Renaissance overwhelmed by hypersexuality? According to Vasari, it happened that, "overindulging in his amorous pleasures, it so happened that one of the times he committed more excesses than usual and returned home with a high fever...". Ashamed, Raphael did not dare to confess to the doctors the true cause of his sudden weakness. They concluded that his lack of vitality was due to an illness that required bloodletting and, in a fatal mistake, he ended up in the grave.

Who was the woman with whom Raphael spent his last happy night? His passion would center on Margherita Luti, the Fornarina, daughter of a Sienese baker, famous for her sensual portraits. One of Raphael's last paintings often bears her title and shows naked breasts covered by a translucent veil with a seductive smile; it hangs in the Palazzo Barberini.

Scholars have speculated about its identity for centuries, without obtaining a definitive answer. The work does not appear in the inventory made shortly after his death, although it is likely that this was because he kept it as a private object. There are several signatures that can be seen throughout the painting; one of them reads "Rafael Urbinas", which means that he himself became the owner of the work. This evidence suggests that it was someone close to him, possibly a relative or lover.

![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/La_Fornarina%2C_por_Rafael.jpg)

## Raphael did not die from an excess of sex.

However, a recent scientific study unveils the true cause of Raphael's death: the painter did not die from an excess of sex. The group of experts has shown that the Renaissance genius did not die of syphilis, but contracted pneumonia while receiving these bloodletting treatments.

A study by the University of Milan-Bicocca has determined that Raphael most likely died of pneumonia and a "mistake" during his syphilis treatment, rather than contracting the disease from his debauched lifestyle.

After his death on April 6, 1520, Raphael was buried with full honors in the Roman Pantheon, resting next to a stele dedicated to him by his friend Pietro Bembo: "Here lies Raphael, who while he lived made nature fear to be overcome by him and who, when he died, feared to die with him."

If you would like to know more about Raphael and his work, technical characteristics, information about Renaissance artists and, above all, information about the greatest works of art that are housed in the Prado Museum, we recommend ["The Prado Art Guide" already available on Amazon by clicking here.](https://www.amazon.es/Prado-Art-Guide-Amazing-Museums/dp/8418943556/)

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Raphael the painter of... sex?

The Mona Lisa is perhaps the most reproduced and exploited work of art. It has had more media exploitation than any other painting, and serves as a primary cultural reference for many people. But do we know who this enigmatic woman was?

## Who was the Mona Lisa?

The most widespread version about the identity of the model used by Leonardo da Vinci belongs to the documents written by Giorgio Vasari, who states that Francesco di Bartolommeo commissioned him to paint La Gioconda in 1495. When it was first exhibited, some believed that this new perspective on painting would change the way we see reality.

According to Vasari, "The mouth, joined to the fleshy tones of the face by the red of the lips, seemed living flesh rather than paint.... Fixing one's gaze on the throat, one could swear that her pulse was beating...".

## Why is the Mona Lisa so famous?

The model's relaxed pose is one of the most important innovations in portraiture. Earlier portraits appear stiff and artificial because they are posed in a formal manner. This is apparent upon close study of the model: on the right side, she has a bird's eye view of the entire painting that does not match what is seen on the left side, where she has her lower perspective view. What lies between them is not visible at first glance, and is part of the mystery surrounding this painting, but suggests elemental forces such as roads and aqueducts.

Leonardo used the technique of *sfumato* in his painting La Gioconda. This technique consists of blurring the outlines of figures and objects, giving them a three-dimensional effect. This creates an unsettling sensation of movement in the painting, which gives it a more realistic appearance and, along with the other elements we have mentioned, the famous halo of mystery that surrounds it. But there is an even more mysterious element that almost everyone agrees on when contemplating the work: her smile.

![](https://www.arturamon.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/01-Llavis-Mona-Lisa.jpg)

## The Mona Lisa's smile

The Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile has been interpreted in several ways. One explanation is that it refers to "the two backgrounds" mentioned above: one with eyes looking down and the other looking up, creating a visual struggle for the viewer. Sigmund Freud believed that Leonardo's famous smile was due to memories of his mother from when he was young. This sense of estrangement coincides with another element that many experts reslant: how well-crafted the hands shown are.

Like the smile, the hands are perfectly relaxed and underline the model's majestic composure. The arm resting on the chair, in turn, helps to emphasize how the Mona Lisa's head and torso have a slight twist, causing an effect rarely repeated in art history. Its history as a painting painted in several layers, in addition to this strange sense of mystery experienced by the viewer, provides an explanation as to why the Mona Lisa's eyebrows are not painted like the rest of her features, and that is that they were added later, after the paint had dried.

The Mona Lisa is an oil on wood of 77 x 53 cm, which is currently in the Louvre Museum in Paris. If you want to know other facts about this work, such as its theft and rise to fame, or other technical characteristics, facts about Leonardo da Vinci and, above all, information about the greatest works of art housed in the Louvre Museum in Paris, we recommend ["The Louvre Art Guide" already available on Amazon by clicking here.](https://www.amazon.es/Prado-Art-Guide-Amazing-Museums/dp/8418943556/)


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The true story of the Mona Lisa

Titian is regarded as an exceptional man in many respects, such as the calibre of his paintings, the quality of several inventions, and the fact that he stood out from other like-minded artists because he enjoyed a comfortable life in which he always had enough work, fame or income.

### Titian, life and art

Tiziano Vecellio was born in Pieve di Cadora in the Veneto region around 1487. At the age of nine he was sent to a workshop in Venice to begin his apprenticeship in the art of mosaic. The young artist progressed to become a pupil of the painter Giovanni Bellini (c. 1430-1516) in his Venetian workshop. A contemporary of his, Giorgione da Castelfranco (1475-1510) who was still an apprentice, became another future star. Both Titian and Giorgione's influences were strong, especially around 1504 when they collaborated on the façade of the Palazzo Fondaco dei Tedeschi. When Giorgione died at the age of 30, Titian reached the first class of art with works such as the cycle of frescoes he created around 1511 for the School of the Saints in Padua and the Baptism of Jesus, now in the Capitoline Museums.
His first major public commission was the altarpiece of the Assumption of 1518, used for the main apse of the Venetian church of dei Frari (monks). In this work, action and movement draw the viewer's gaze from darkness to light.

![](http://www.sigecweb.beniculturali.it/images/fullsize/ICCD50007134/ICCD5463684\_CdO13872.jpg)

*Titian, La Giustizia in veste di Giuditta giustizia dipinto, 1508 - 1509*

Titian's fame quickly spread throughout the Veneto region and he became the undisputed master of painting in Venice, especially as artists of his generation migrated to other cities such as Florence and Rome in search of wealth. In addition to private fees, he received substantial public fees from the government of the Republic, which earned him a generous annual income and many tax benefits. As he matured, he began to diversify his paintings, exploring religious, historical and mythological subjects. His talent for portraiture was reflected in large-scale paintings, and his wealthy clients also began to commission many such works, especially mythological subjects.
Despite invitations to other cities, Titian refused to leave Venice, as there was no one in the city of canals who could replace him. Things changed when his wife Cecilia died in 1530, leaving him with two daughters and two sons. This tragedy marked the beginning of a change in his style that took on more dramatic overtones towards the end of his life.

### Titian's technique

Titian was an innovative painter. One of his favorite techniques was the use of colore (or colorito). This means using juxtapositions of colors to define the composition rather than outlines. Colore, thanks to artists such as Titian, emphasized the importance of defining form through line and was the opposite of the Disegno technique, which was particularly associated with Venetian art, one characteristic being the way it handled the effect of light on color. The artist's paintings often had solid substrates in earth tones, to which Titian applied successive layers of bright translucent colors (glazes). He sometimes mixed layers and even blended adjacent colors more subtly with his fingers than with a brush. He would then apply a final layer of distinctive color in precise places with loose brushstrokes. The combination of these techniques is what gives Titian's paintings their vibrant coloring and illusion of depth. Finally, this technical skill was coupled with the artist's concern to give his figures tangible emotions that helped to create a certain mood in the composition as a whole.

### Titian beyond portraiture

Around 1551, Titian and Philip II, in Augsburg, studied the Poetry, six works of mythological sensation that the painter delivered to the monarch between 1553 and 1562, as well as fundamental aspects of Venetian art theory (There was to speak of the precedence of color, etc.). figure. Great works belong to this current, in particular *Venus of Urbino* and *Danae receiving a golden shower*, which show Titian's important contribution to the treatment of the reclining female nude that can be found in the Prado Museum.

As we shall see, his status as a portraitist did not prevent him from developing a body of work that reflected his wide interest in mythology.

![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/46/Tizian\_-\_Danae_receiving_the_Golden_Rain\_-\_Prado.jpg/1200px-Tizian\_-\_Danae_receiving_the_Golden_Rain\_-\_Prado.jpg)

*Titian, Danaë and the Shower of Gold, 1544 - 1546*

This marvelous work can be enjoyed, as we mentioned, in the Prado Museum in Madrid. If you are interested in discovering more about Titian, [we recommend *Prado Art Guide*](https://amzn.to/3E5BiZo), an essential art guide to discover and learn the essentials of the greatest works, artists and styles in the Prado Museum, including Titian, that is now  available on Amazon.

Buy it here: <https://amzn.to/3E5BiZo>


Titian, a life of art and good fortune

The Prado Art Guide, an essential artistic guide to discover and learn the essentials of the greatest works, artists and styles in the Prado Museum, [is now available on Amazon.](https://amzn.to/3E5BiZo)

Discover one of the greatest art galleries in the world, from its beginnings to its transformation into the Museum of Paintings and its latest extensions. Admire and understand the great works of art it houses, as well as the masters who created them: El Greco, Velázquez, Goya, Botticelli, Raphael, the Venetians, Rubens, Rembrandt, Lorraine, Poussin, 19th century Spanish painting and the sculptural and decorative works it treasures in its collections. An essential art guide to fully admire the main national art museum in Spain, which houses one of the best collections of European art in the world and the most complete collection of Spanish painting.

### What makes this guide different from other guides to the Prado?

*   To learn about the history and collections of one of the most important museums in the world: 96 essential masterpieces arranged by school, style and author.

*   Clear, complete and rigorous information on masters, works, periods, collections and funds in general that the museum treasures in its headquarters.

*   Written in a didactic way both for the non-specialized reader and for students and the general public who wish to learn about the Prado's artistic treasures.

*   The rigor of its exposition and the practical approach it provides, make it a useful work, both to prepare and to remember the visit to the museum.

*   Glossary of artistic terms necessary to understand the less known concepts of the text and to establish relationships between the different stages of the history of art.

The book  [is now available on Amazon,](https://amzn.to/3E5BiZo) and you can buy it on the following link: <https://amzn.to/3E5BiZo>


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The Prado Art Guide, by Carlos Taranilla, now available

Johannes Bosch, better known as Hieronymus Bosch, is one of the most enigmatic painters in the history of art. His artworks capture the quiet mysteries of plant and animal life, and the both the intrigue and the symmetry of everyday objects. Let's See a more in depth look at his life.

### What do we know about Bosch?

According to historians, Bosch was a "distant and inaccessible artist" within classical art pattern. He achieved his masterpieces in painting, a rara species among well-known painters in the history of art.

One notable work that Bosch did not sign is the painting The Ascension, but the limited information available indicates that his family were members of the Confraternity of Our Lady and that he was a member.

![](https://arthive.net/res/media/img/oy800/work/79f/314550@2x.jpg)

*Hieronymus Bosch, Cielo e infierno (cuatro visiones del inframundo), 1516*

One of the reasons that no work can be attributed to him with certainty is that his style has only been confirmed by taking into account a small number or works mentioned by literary sources.Moreover, it is difficult to distinguish between the real Bosch and the many imitators or followers of his work that he had.

One of the main characteristics of Bosch's painting is the satirical vein he exhibits, especially when dealing with the more traditional doctrine of the Catholic Church. His allusions to sin, the transience of life or the folly of man are very frequent.

For many, Bosch's true innovation was the use of burlesque and amusing elements, "placing in the midst of those mockeries many primors and strangenesses," as Fray José de Sigüenza said.

Another peculiarity of Bosch is that he used very thin layers of paint, sometimes leaving the background of the canvas visible.

This, for some, was a way of painting that lacked any technique, compared to other Dutch artists of the time. For others it was a stroke of genius, which allowed him to work faster, as the layers of color dried faster, and at a much lower cost.

In short, Bosch's painting could be inscribed in the Flemish tradition, but, at the same time, it separates itself from it, both in imagery and technique, as we have just commented.

### What works by Bosch can be seen in Spain?

Philip II was one of Bosch's admirers and collected many of his works. For this reason, Spain is the place where most of them can be admired.

![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/El_jard%C3%ADn_de_las_Delicias%2C_de_El_Bosco.jpg)

*Hieronymus Bosch, El Jardín de las Delicias, 1505*

The Prado Museum in Madrid houses 35 of the painter's most important works. Highlights include the triptych of The Garden of Earthly Delights, The Lamentation over the Body of Christ and The Extraction of the Stone of Madness.

The Garden of Earthly Delights, however, is Bosch's masterpiece and most characteristic work. In addition, it has been considered one of the most attractive and mysterious works (like everything around the painter) in the history of art.

It is a work of two meters high and almost four meters wide, consisting of a central panel and two side panels. A work full of symbolic content, about which there are many different interpretations. It obeys a moralizing as well as satirical intention, and it quickly found copyists and imitators.

This marvelous work can be enjoyed, as we mentioned, in the Prado Museum in Madrid, where it has been kept since 1939.

If you are interested in the subject [we recommend *Prado Art Guide*](https://amzn.to/3E5BiZo), an essential art guide to discover and learn the essentials of the greatest works, artists and styles in the Prado Museum,  available on Amazon.

Buy it here: <https://amzn.to/3E5BiZo>

![](/images/1659105482.png)


Bosch: the most mysterious painter in history

Many know Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo for his family relationship with the master Diego Velázquez. But his work and legacy stand on their own authority, join us to discover why.

> "So unique, and especially in the things of his master, that it is almost impossible to distinguish the copies from the originals." -Antonio Palomino.

Martínez del Mazo lived in the mid-17th century, during the Baroque and at the end of the Golden Age. Although it is believed that he was born in Beteta, a small town in what is now the province of Cuenca, the first reliable data about his life are the papers that prove his marriage to Francisca Velázquez de Silva, daughter of Velázquez. In fact, Velázquez introduced him to his studio and was also the one who introduced him as a court painter, sponsored by Baltasar Carlos, crown prince of Philip IV.

Thanks to this work, del Mazo was able to distinguish himself among his peers as a respected landscape painter, although, unfortunately for him, he was often known first as Velázquez's son-in-law and then as a painter. The advantages and disadvantages of being the in-laws of one of the most famous Spanish painters of all time.

The proximity to Velázquez made it possible for Mazo to assimilate his style in such a way that some of his paintings have come to be confused, and even now there are still hesitations in the attribution of certain works to one or the other master.  The most recent case is that of The Infanta Margarita of Austria, attributed to Velázquez until a few years ago.

![](https://dbe.rah.es/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/imagenes/biografias/37980-Margarita-maria-teresa-de-austria.jpg)*The Infanta Margarita of Austria, ca. 1665, oil on canvas, 212 x 147 cm, Madrid, Prado Museum.*

The long shadow of his father-in-law, who opened the doors for him to become the first chamber painter of Prince Charles Balthasar, and later of Philip IV, did not leave him during his lifetime or, later, after his death. Although he made copies of works by Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, Rubens and Velázquez himself, as well as some works derived from them without being strictly copies, he had a fruitful personal production.

Unusually for a Spanish painter of his century, there are no known ecclesiastical commissions, and the only religious paintings recorded are reduced to six.  The portraits of the members of the royal family constitute the fundamental nucleus of his production. Part of his work in the palace was to include reproductions of official portraits created by Velázquez, using Velázquez's technique and applying it in softer, unfinished points, as can be seen in the small number of entirely original portraits. This small amount of his own work, together with the assimilation of his father-in-law's techniques, contributed to the fact that he remained in his father-in-law's shadow.

Although there are great works of his own during this period, he was able to stand out after the death of Diego Velázquez, with sublime works such as Mariana of Austria with widow's headdresses. As Antonio Palomino tells in his book El museo pictórico y escala óptica III. El parnaso español pintoresco laureado (1988), in this work we can find her seated in the middle of an empty room, with only a small dog at her feet, the queen governor appears as the widow of the deceased king and as the mother of the crown prince, Charles II, who is seen in an adjoining room in the background -the Ochavada Piece of the old Alcázar of Madrid-, held with walkers by a mistress. The oil painting, painted with a loose brushstroke and signed on a bill that the queen governor holds in her right hand, served as a model for Carreño de Miranda's later official portraits.

![](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IJ0cMARDWW0/VTZem-2NrHI/AAAAAAAACqQ/87StoByVCCs/s1600/cii.png)

Among his most outstanding works after Velázquez's death is also The Painter's Family, one of the few group portraits in Spanish painting, with elements that, once again, refer to his father-in-law with his timeless work Las Meninas.
But, where he really stood out on his own account was in the small landscape pictures painted for the decoration of the royal palace, more personal and larger in size, in which the topographical landscape of the city is usually distinguished, animated by a multitude of small figures, almost delineated with light brushstrokes, and the reproduction of royal gardens. He was an expert in humanizing the landscape, embodying the influence of Roman classicism.

In the Prado Museum we can find the Taberna de Aranjuez Hunting, which, like the urban landscape, is characterized by the presence of ringleaders and gangs in a lively act, in this case hunting, and the predominance of small human details. It is often compared to the Tela real of the National Gallery in London, which is generally considered a work of Velázquez, but now attributed entirely to Mazo thanks to the research of José López-Rey.

![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Velazquez-TelaReal.jpg)

If you are interested in the subject we recommend *Prado Art Guide*, an essential art guide to discover and learn the essentials of the greatest works, artists and styles in the Prado Museum,  available on Amazon.

Buy it: https://amzn.to/3E5BiZo

![](/images/1659105482.png)


Mazo, a painter beyond Velazquez

Learn about Diego Velazquez's link to Italy

### Prado Museum (Madrid)

The Prado Museum is perhaps the most important museum in Spain, with a collection of works from the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries and all that means: Velázquez, Goya, El Greco and Murillo are all here. But not only Spanish painters, the Prado also has works by Rubens, Tintoretto and Titian. A must for lovers of classical art, and about which, from GrandesMuseos.news, we will publish a guide this September 2022.

### Picasso Museum (Malaga)

Picasso comes from Malaga, so in the city there are not one but two museums dedicated to the artist. The Picasso Museum, with 285 works, is the perfect place to delve into his career and all the areas of art he touched. In addition, the museum often hosts temporary exhibitions of Picasso and other artists.

### Joan Miró Foundation (Barcelona)

The collection of the Joan Miró Foundation is located in Montjuic and includes some of the most famous and well-known works of the Catalan painter. In total, more than 10,000 works (paintings, sculptures, textiles and drawings) serve as a guide to discover and understand the artist's profession, from his early drawings to his youth and the great portraits he eventually painted. The idea for this museum came from Miró himself, to ensure that his work is always available to the public.

![](https://www.metropoliabierta.com/uploads/s1/33/72/65/home-edifici-1920x990px-1487751929-1920.jpeg)

*Joan Miro Foundation, Barcelona*

### Guggenheim Museum (Bilbao)

The Guggenheim in Bilbao, which has been open since 2007, is a work of art starting with its building, designed by Frank Gehry Architects. As for the exhibits at the museum, they tend to change frequently and focus on 20th and 21st century works. If you are one of those people who don't understand the term "art installation" or have never been there (or just to see the building from the outside), or if you love contemporary art, the Guggenheim Bilbao is a must-see.

### Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum (Madrid)

The Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen-Bornemisza museums are known as Madrid's "art triangle. And what's in that third corner? A little bit of everything for all tastes. Their collections range from Italian and German Renaissance, through Flemish painting (Rubens, Spain's only Van Eyck or Rembrandt), Impressionism (Manet, Monet, etc.), Expressionism (Van Gogh, Munch, etc.) and several examples of 20th century avant-garde fine art.

### Reina Sofia National Museum and Art Center (Madrid)

And we continue with the next edge of the "Art Triangle". For those of you who enjoy the art of the last two centuries, the Reina Sofia is your place. In a former hospital building, this museum houses paintings by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró or Salvador Dalí, with a large collection of works by each of them, as well as many examples of names from great artistic movements such as surrealism and cubism. This is the place to go to see Guernica (Picasso) or The Girl in the Window (Dalí).

![](https://www.inoutviajes.com/fotos/20/12318\_Teatro-Museo.jpg)

*Dalí Theater-Museum, Figueres.*

### Dalí Theater-Museum (Figueres)
Which brings us to the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres. If you like Salvador Dalí, you must travel to his birthplace, Figueres, and visit this museum whose project was created by the artist himself. The enclosure includes his last room and his tomb, which are located inside the museum itself. As its name suggests, the building housing this large collection of Salvador Dalí's works was formerly a theater, where the painter exhibited for the first time in 1918. Along with the Reina Sofía, the Dalí Theater-Museum in Figueres is one of the places with the largest collection of the artist's works.

### National Museum of Roman Art (Mérida)

Inaugurated in 1986, the construction of this Museum and Research Center of Roman Art was one of the first great works of the architect Rafael Moneo and also the work that led him to begin to gain recognition outside Spain. The museum itself is for any lover of Roman culture: more than 36,000 exhibits, archaeological remains from the city of Emerita Augusta, as well as lectures, courses, temporary exhibitions and other activities.

### Valencian Institute of Modern Art (Valencia)

The Valencian Institute of Modern Art (IVAM) specializes in the avant-garde art of the 20th century, making a fairly complete tour of movements such as abstraction or pop-art. In addition to permanent exhibitions, it often offers temporary exhibitions. Among the paintings we can visit are works by international artists such as Paul Klee, Robert Delaunay and Frantisek Kupka.


What are the main art galleries in Spain?

### 1.Why is it called the Prado if there is no meadow?

The name of this museum always causes some confusion and some funny situations. Where is this supposed meadow? The truth is that it is a place where, originally, there was a meadow. The museum was built in the meadow of the Hieronymites, a plot of land adjacent to the famous and friendly Hieronymites Monastery. At first it was given non-original names such as the Royal Museum of Paintings or the National Museum of Painting and Sculpture, but the lack of attractiveness of these names (and the common use of the name El Prado to refer to the museum), led to the decision in 1920 through a decree law to baptize it with the name by which we all know it now.

### 2.Picasso was director of the Prado Museum

A milestone in Picasso's curriculum: he was director of the museum from 1936 to 1939, appointed directly by Manuel Azaña. Although he was unable to do so (because of the civil war), he used to brag to his friends about holding the position. The truth is that it was common for the country's best artists to become directors of the museum, as did artists of the stature of Madrazo and Gisbert.

### 3.One of the biggest moves in history

And speaking of the Civil War, the bombing of the Condor Legion during the Civil War made it clear that the works were in grave danger. Through a long journey, the works of great masters such as Goya and Velázquez were taken to the Levantine coast and from there to the League of Nations in Geneva, where they would hibernate for the rest of the war.

![](https://media.theobjective.com/app/uploads/2022/07/055402/museo-del-prado-guerra-1-1.jpeg)

### 4.And the Goya goes to...

No, we are not talking about the spanish film awards. The Prado Museum contains a total of 152 works by Goya, in addition to having the honor of preserving the most important and famous works of this painter, one of the greatest in history. But beyond that, the Prado has the largest collection of paintings by Velázquez, El Greco, Titian and Rubens (among others), making it the largest and best pre-avant-garde gallery in the world.

### 5.The beginning of the Impressionists

Although the Prado is known for the artists mentioned in the previous point, and although it does not cover the avant-garde, it houses two paintings that, for many, were the basis of impressionism. The first is the View of the garden of the Villa Medici in Rome, painted by Velázquez, in which the Sevillian painter begins to play with light, nature and shadows. The second, the essential Bordeaux Milkmaid, one of Goya's last oil paintings, we find a looser, freer and experimental style that would inaugurate Romanticism and that would be a fundamental step and a key inspiration for the 'true' Impressionists.

*Information extracted from the article by Javier Zori del Amo for Condé Nast Traveler: shorturl.at/beiy5*


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