Prado Museum
Juan de Villanueva · Madrid, Spain · 1819
Juan de Villanueva's Prado building began as an Enlightenment-era scientific institution before opening as an art museum in 1819. Its disciplined classical façades, porticoes and carefully organized volumes give an institutional programme a composed urban presence along the Paseo del Prado. Successive additions have expanded the museum, notably Rafael Moneo's intervention around the nearby Jerónimos cloister in 2007. The architecture rewards attention to the relationship between the original building, garden level changes and later circulation. The date in this record marks the museum's opening rather than the start of Villanueva's commission. Visiting: Regular museum admission is ticketed, with specified free admission periods.