The Museo Nacional del Prado has unveiled a fresh look at its 18th-century collections, placing Francisco de Goya at the heart of a thoughtful and immersive reinstallation on the south side of its second floor. The highlight is a near-complete presentation of the artist’s celebrated tapestry cartoons, now brought together in rooms 85 and 90–94, offering visitors a rare chance to follow nearly two decades of Goya’s early career in a single, continuous narrative.
Painted between 1775 and the mid-1790s, these works were originally designed to decorate royal residences such as El Escorial and El Pardo for the Princes of Asturias, the future Charles IV and María Luisa of Parma. Now reunited in the museum, they reveal not only Goya’s technical brilliance but also the gradual emergence of a distinctive artistic voice—one that would later redefine Spanish painting. The Prado holds 50 of the 57 cartoons he created, making this installation an exceptional opportunity to grasp the full scope of the series, especially given that several others are either lost or dispersed in different collections.
The new layout guides visitors through Goya’s evolution with clarity and intention. Early works show the strong influence of court painters like Anton Raphael Mengs and Francisco Bayeu, under whom Goya began his career in Madrid. But as the rooms unfold, so too does his independence, with later pieces hinting at the originality and psychological depth that would come to define masterpieces such as Los Caprichos and the Black Paintings. A particularly striking moment comes in the final gallery, where a direct comparison between works by Bayeu and Goya underscores just how far the younger artist had pushed beyond his teacher’s shadow.
Beyond the Goya display, the reinstallation expands into a broader exploration of 18th-century art. Nearby rooms present a rich mix of painting, sculpture, and decorative arts that evoke the refined interiors of royal palaces. Works by figures such as Corrado Giaquinto, Giambattista Tiepolo, and Louis-Michel Van Loo share space with British masters like Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough, painting a vivid picture of a cosmopolitan Europe shaped by courtly taste, classical revival, and artistic exchange. Intricate marquetry and hardstone objects, including pieces from the Royal Laboratory of Buen Retiro, further deepen the sense of material culture from the period.
The museum has also taken the opportunity to open a window into its conservation work, highlighting ongoing restoration efforts supported by Fundación Iberdrola España. Visitors can explore technical insights into how these fragile works are preserved, including a rare glimpse at an X-ray of one of Goya’s cartoons alongside a reproduction of The Blind Guitarist, the only print he created based on this series. These elements bring the creative and physical processes behind the artworks into sharper focus.
In parallel with the physical redesign, the Prado is extending the experience online with a new microsite dedicated to a set of 31 marble reliefs from the royal collections. The digital platform offers updated research, attribution, and historical context, shedding light on an ambitious 18th-century sculptural program tied to Madrid’s Royal Palace. Several of these reliefs can now be seen in the newly arranged galleries, reinforcing the connection between scholarship, display, and public engagement.
Altogether, the Prado’s latest reinstallation is more than a simple reshuffling of works—it is a carefully crafted narrative that brings visitors closer to the artistic, cultural, and political currents of the 18th century, with Goya’s early genius shining at its center.
Credit: Art Daily
