Enfilade

From the press release:

The Museo Nacional del Prado has announced an exciting program for 2025, promising a year of rich artistic exploration. From monographic exhibitions of Old Masters to a fascinating look at the impact of Mexican iconography in Spain, and a celebration of women’s contributions to art history, the Prado’s 2025 season offers something for everyone.

Antón Rafael Mengs, Self-Portrait, 1761–69, oil on panel, 63 × 50 cm (Madrid: Museo Nacional del Prado).

Following a 2024 season focused on thematic exhibitions, the Prado is returning to the intimate study of individual artists. Three giants from its collection will be the focus of major solo shows: El Greco and Veronese in the first half of the year, followed by Anton Raphael Mengs in the latter half.

A Reunion for El Greco’s Masterpiece

Kicking off the year is El Greco: Santo Domingo el Antiguo (18 February — 15 June), an exhibition that will reunite, for the first time since 1830, the majority of works El Greco created for the Monastery of Santo Domingo el Antiguo in Toledo. This significant commission, which included a grand altarpiece and two side altarpieces, has seen its components scattered across the globe. Thanks to a special agreement with the Art Institute of Chicago, the breathtaking Assumption of the Virgin will return to the Prado after more than a century, joining other works from the museum’s collection and various other holdings.

Veronese: A Venetian Master in the Spotlight

Next up is Paolo Veronese (1528–1588) (27 May — 21 June), an exhibition that culminates the Prado’s ongoing study and re-evaluation of its world-renowned Venetian Renaissance painting collection. Following successful shows on the Bassanos, Titian, Tintoretto, and Lorenzo Lotto, this exhibition shines a light on Veronese’s importance, particularly his influence on Spanish art during the Golden Age. The exhibition will explore Veronese’s creative process, his workshop’s organization, and his remarkable ability to capture the aspirations of Venetian elites, a style that resonated with European courts.

A Journey Across the Atlantic: Guadalupe in Spain

Shifting gears, the Prado will present So Far, So Close: Guadalupe of Mexico in Spain (10 June — 14 September). This exhibition will trace the remarkable journey of the Virgin of Guadalupe’s image from New Spain (colonial Mexico) to Spain, examining its profound impact on art on both sides of the Atlantic. This exhibition builds on the Prado’s ongoing exploration of the artistic exchange between Spain and the Americas, continuing the work started with the 2021 exhibition Tornaviaje.

The Sculptural World of Juan Muñoz

Later in the year, the Prado will focus on contemporary sculpture with an exhibition dedicated to Juan Muñoz (18 November 2025 — 8 March 2026). Curated by Vicente Todolí, the exhibition will explore Muñoz’s dialogue with art history, particularly his inspirations drawn from Renaissance and Baroque masters like Velázquez and Goya. The exhibition will examine Muñoz’s use of theatricality, illusionism, and architecture, and how he captured fleeting moments in time, echoing the styles of his artistic predecessors.

Mengs: A Major Retrospective

Closing out the monographic exhibitions is Anton Raphael Mengs: The Greatest Painter of the 18th Century (25 November 2025 — 1 March 2026). This will be the most comprehensive exhibition of Mengs’ work to date, featuring approximately 150 pieces, including paintings, watercolors, pastels, drawings, and even his fresco Jupiter and Ganymede. The exhibition promises a complete overview of Mengs’s artistic practice, his influences, and his connections to other great masters like Raphael, Correggio, and Pompeo Batoni.

Celebrating Women’s Contributions to Art History

The Prado remains committed to highlighting the often-overlooked contributions of women to art history. The third edition of The Prado in Feminine will focus on the 18th century, exploring the legacy of influential women who played a crucial role in shaping the museum’s collections. The exhibition will focus on figures like María Luisa Gabriela de Saboya, María Luisa de Parma, and especially Queen Isabel de Farnesio, a key figure in both politics and art collecting in 18th-century Europe.

A Hub for Research and Learning

Beyond the exhibitions, the Prado’s Center for Studies will offer a rich program of lectures and residencies. Lecture cycles like Spanish Intellectual Women and the Museo del Prado will explore the museum’s role in the intellectual and social awakening of Spanish women in the 19th century. The Writing the Prado residency, in partnership with the Loewe Foundation and Granta in Spanish, will host acclaimed writers Helen Oyeyemi and Mathias Énard. There will also be a Pérez-Llorca Conference by Robert Lane Fox on classical antiquity and the Prado Chair led by Astrid Schmidt-Bukhardt on genealogical diagrams in art history. The Prado’s 2025 program promises to be a vibrant and engaging exploration of art from various periods and perspectives.