The Prado Museum completes the restoration of Pablo de Valladolid as part of Iberdrola España Foundation's Restoration Program

The Prado Museum has completed the restoration of Pablo de Valladolid, one of Diego Velázquez's most admired works and "the most astonishing painting ever painted", as Manet described it, as part of the painting conservation program sponsored by the Iberdrola España Foundation as a "miembro protector" of its Restoration Program.
The restoration has restored the canvas to its original appearance by recovering its original dimensions and re-establishing the delicate balance between the figure and the space surrounding it, an essential feature for understanding the modernity and boldness of the artist's pictorial language.

Art and culture

A group of seven people posing in front of a portrait in an art gallery. The artwork in the background shows a man in historical attire. The group members are dressed formally, with suits and shirts, and some wear green ties. The scene is well-lit and decorated with additional paintings on the walls.

From left to right: Alfonso Palacio, deputy director of conservation at the Prado; Miguel Falomir, director of the Prado; Maria Álvarez, the work's restorer; and Jaime Alfonsín, president of the Iberdrola España Foundation, among others.

In recent years the Prado Museum has been carrying out an extensive restoration project on several works by Diego Velázquez, including Pablo de Valladolid, which had not been restored since the major campaign conducted in the 1980s. This program, sponsored by Iberdrola España through its Foundation as a supporting member of its Restoration Program, aims to ensure the conservation of the canvases and restore, as far as possible, the aesthetic and expressive values conceived by the artist.

Although the painting has survived to the present day in good condition, it bore historical interventions that altered the relationship between the figure and its surroundings, one of its most essential qualities. As early as the 18th century restorers expanded the scene by adding strips of fabric on both sides and along the bottom edge while they limited the top edge to a fold of the canvas tacked to the stretcher. Added to this were repaintings from more recent interventions whose tones, over time, had shifted and affected the chromatic balance of the whole.

For Jaime Alfonsín, president of the Iberdrola España Foundation: "the extraordinary work carried out has restored the spatial and visual balance conceived by Velázquez to the canvas while the new technical studies provide a fresh perspective on his creative process". He added that: "initiatives like this reflect the value of cultural patronage as a stable collaboration between institutions in the service of the public interest". He also emphasized that "being a supporting member of the Prado Museum's Restoration Program is both a responsibility and a source of pride for the Iberdrola España Foundation, especially when the results help the public enjoy masterpieces such as those by the great master of Spanish painting, Velázquez".

Finally he referred to the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Iberdrola Group and its extensive program of activities ranging from art exhibitions, music festivals and technology showcases to social events.

Read more about the restoration of Diego Velázquez's work in the Iberdrola España Foundation's Communication Room.

The Prado Museum completes the restoration of Pablo de Valladolid as part of Iberdrola España Foundation's Restoration Program

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The Prado Museum completes the restoration of Pablo de Valladolid as part of Iberdrola España Foundation's Restoration Program

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