The Prado Guide

by María Dolores Jiménez-Blanco (Editor)

«O Guia Oficial do Museu do Prado, com 400 imagens a cores, é uma publicação única para conhecer umas das maiores e mais prestigiadas pinacotecas do mundo.

Narrado por especialistas em cada escola (espanhola, italiana, flamenga, holandesa, francesa, alemã, inglesa), dirige-se tanto aos que visitam o Museu pela primeira vez como aos que querem aprofundar mais o conhecimento do seu espólio.

Desde o românico até aos pintores do século XIX, o Guia Oficial proporciona uma viagem amena e ilustrada pela história da pintura universal e pelos seus grandes mestres, El Greco, Velázquez, Goya, Ribera, Bosch, Rubens, Ticiano..., sem esquecer outros capítulos menos conhecidos das colecções, como desenho, escultura e artes decorativas.

A melhor companhia para apreciar e compreender o Museu do Prado.»


(Retirado da contracapa do Guia)

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Spanish Literature, Art History, Travel

478 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

María Dolores Jiménez-Blanco (Granada, 1959) is a Spanish art historian, essayist, art critic and university professor.

Reviews

[Roy Lotz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first time I visited the Prado I was so stunned that I simply had to buy the book, even though it was a tad pricey. The museum is extraordinary. In one building you can find the best works of Velazquez, El Greco, Goya, and my personal favorite, Hieronymous Bosch. There are also many works by Titian, Tintoretto, Fra Angelico, Jose de Ribera, and Rubens, not to mention innumerable other works by minor masters. I've gone to the Prado several times now, and each time I come away inspired. Most recently, I found myself gaping at Rogier van der Weyden's Descent From the Cross, whose figures convey an enormous sense of solidity. The Prado Guide has been my constant companion on these visits, serving as a handy source of information and a reminder of what I'd seen. (You're not allowed to take pictures, so the glossy photos in the guide are doubly valuable.)

If you ever find yourself in Madrid, visit the Prado post haste. (And if not, I've written an overlong blog post about my own visits to the Prado, which you can find here.)

[Enrique (TheEssentialBooks.com) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hay muchos libros sobre El Prado pero esta "Guía oficial" es simplemente genial.

Es un libro de arte + un libro de historia que te acercará a la pintura en general y al Prado en particular.

Must, si te gusta la pintura

[nats · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una recopilación con algunas de las obras más representativas del Museo del Prado, con breves explicaciones sobre el autor y la historia de las pinturas.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find it best to read the guides of the World's great art museums before I visit them and to highlight interesting-to-me information about particular artists and paintings. I utilize all my time at the museum looking at the art instead of reading. This guide is one of the best I've come across with pictures and detailed descriptions of each work. The Prado is FILLED with masterpieces; I can't wait to see them as no print in a book ever equals seeing the real painting. This guide makes a great souvenir to cherish after the visit.

[Kristi Hovington · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Prado doesn’t allow photography, and while it is wonderfully refreshing in many ways to be in a non-selfie tourist spot, the no photography rule also doesn’t allow one to (digitally) record the title cards if one wants to learn more about a particular work of art later. Next time I visit, I’ll bring a notebook, but for now, this 500 page guide is an engaging and comprehensive resource to the collection.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that, like most people, we picked this up in the gift shop after spending a long visit in the Prado. It, like most gift shop items, was a bit pricey but it was definitely worth the cost.

Unsurprisingly the majority of the book is dedicated to Iberian artists, but it also gets into works from other nations that the museum holds. The photos of the art work are incredible, and do a great job capturing the details. The blurbs accompanying the photos are informative, but not mind blowing.

Really the best parts of this book are not the works of art I already knew about (Goya, Vázquez, El Greco, etc.), but rather learning about new artists and themes. Flip through this with an open mind and you will find new and awesome things.

[Antholo · Rating 4 out of 5]

unEl Museo del Prado es uno de los grandes logros en España de los que creyeron y aún creen que el Arte es uno de los factores que más profundamente transforman las sociedades y nos recuerda que la vida tiene un sentido constructivo y de continua búsqueda de la perfección en la que la belleza se vuelve aún mas rotunda y pura en cuanto mayor variedad seamos capaz de tolerar. Gracias a la continua inspiración y legado que nos ofrece el talento de estos artistas que nos muestran nuestra Historia, nuestra Cultura, nuestros miedos y sueños, nuestras derrotas y logros haciéndonos participes y herederos de ese legado responsabilizándonos de difundirlo y cuidarlo.

La Institución del Prado antes dispersa en los palacios y templos religiosos a ido configurándose y aumentando gracias a los gustos de la Monarquía Española por el Arte. Signo indiscutible de poderío el poseer los mejores pintores y obras del pasado y del momento. Pero también ha sufrido daños irreparables por incendios, guerras o espoleo, convirtiéndose en un testimonio en su evolución de los errores cometidos por los gobernantes de España y de las traiciones sufridas.

Tenemos la suerte de vivir una época en la que El Campus del Prado estará completo en breve con la incorporación del Salón de Reinos ( la parte mas importante del antiguo Palacio del Buen Retiro) Esperemos que a un estado lo mas fidedigno posible al pasado y con mejor gusto estético que el Cubo de Moneo.

Así, podremos estar muy orgullosos de tener la colección más importante de pintura Barroca del mundo en una de las zonas más importantes en la Historia de Europa de la Edad Moderna; Madrid.

[Anna Kurasova · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected much more. Although some points are truly illuminating, I think this guide is primarily for those who can't call themselves art lovers. The information provided often is somewhat basic. On the bright side, the illustrations are of wonderful quality! I'd recommend this book if you are meditating on visiting Prado but not sure how to get around it. If you are, on the other hand, an experienced museum visitor, perhaps some other book would serve you better.

[Irene Lázaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esta guía del Museo del Prado es bastante completa. Tiene una muy buena selección de obras explicadas y con introducción a los diferentes movimientos artísticos y pintores más relevantes. Es un buen complemento a la visita del museo.

[Patri · Rating 4 out of 5]

El Prado, una de las pinacotecas más importantes del mundo, no es el más grandioso ni tampoco el más completo de los grandes museos, pero sí, tal vez, el más apasionado, el el más lleno de sentido y coherencia en sus colecciones, no por su carácter exhaustivo sino por su intensidad.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really makes me wanna be a renaissance era Spanish monarch 9/10.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

English version. Bought it for our visit at the Prado, but we missed so much that I wanted to read it.

[Paco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pues hija como repasillo esta bien, coket

[vivian]

não vou classificar um guia de museu, mas foi uma leitura mto informativa

[Marita Gayoso]

Había una gran diferencia entre la explicación del cuadro en la ficha técnica del museo y en la guía en "Retrato de Familia" de Adriaen Thomasz Key. Me quedó la duda... Pero es una guía excelente, vale la pena comprarla.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Required reading at the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid. I wish it were organized around how the pieces are placed in the museum, but realize this may be because the pieces move more often than the book is updated.

[Kierkegaard Fan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Goya. That's all.

[Manon Dubreuil]

version française
Le guide du prado