“Spain’s Prado Museum presents the world’s greatest, most famous art, which, as can also be seen by the number of visitors, is important for the society of every country. At the same time, it is also a very important branch of the creative industry,” said Deputy Prime Minister, Prof. Piotr Gliński after he visits the Prado Museum in Madrid.
The Minister of the Ministry of Culture and Sport is in Spain at the invitation of the Spanish side. The purpose of the visit is a bilateral meeting of the Ministers of both countries, whose most important subject will be issues related to the organization of the Year of Polish Culture in Spain and the Year of Spanish Culture in Poland.
“At the invitation of the management of one of the largest museums in the world, the Prado in Madrid, we could see and admire the most famous pieces from the collections of such artists as Velazquez, Goya, Bosch and Bruegel. This is very impressive and makes one think how much Poland and Polish art have lost. Let me remind you – almost half a million objects were lost during World War II, but also before. These are great losses” – stressed Deputy Prime Minister Piotr Gliński.
The Minister of the Ministry of Culture and Sport also reminded that in Poland many new museums are currently being established and art museums try to develop their proposals by enriching their collections.
“Every year we make very serious purchases when it comes to the Royal Castle, the National Museum in Warsaw, the National Museum in Krakow, and many, many others. This exchange is very important. We have also begun discussions to hold an exhibition of part of the Prado collection as part of this exchange. We hope that the Prado Museum will present its offer to our institutions and that it will be available to visitors – either at the Royal Castle or at the National Museum in Warsaw – as part of the Year of Spanish Culture in Poland,” said Piotr Gliński.
Referring to the question of proposing the works to be presented, the Deputy Prime Minister stressed that the decisions in this matter would be made by specialists – directors of Polish and Spanish cultural institutions. He indicated that one of the keys to the choice might be the role of great patrons, as royal patronage had been present in both Spain and Poland.