Moneo completed a new section of the Spanish Prado Museum

Madrid - In Madrid, the construction of a new wing of the famous Prado museum has been completed after five years. The new wing, valued at £92 million (about 3.8 billion CZK), designed by Spanish architect Rafael Moneo, expands the museum's exhibition space by more than half. The British newspaper The Independent reported today.
"This extension will allow the Prado to breathe again," said Gabriel Finaldi, the museum's director of painting conservation, to journalists. According to the museum's management, the new spaces will allow for the display of a large number of artworks that have been stored away for years due to a lack of exhibition space.
One of the most prestigious projects of Spanish cultural policy, however, has stirred emotions among the Spanish public and experts. The project was supposed to be completed three years ago and was expected to cost £63 million (about 2.6 billion CZK) less.
Critics of Moneo's project had significant objections primarily regarding the fact that the famous architect incorporated part of the former Saint Jerome monastery from the 15th century into the construction of the new wing. A group of Madrid residents took Moneo, the holder of the prestigious Pritzker Prize for architecture, to court over this. However, the court dismissed the accusations of violating architectural heritage.
The public will be able to view the new wing during open days, which will take place from April 28 to July 1. A grand opening of the expanded space is expected to take place at the end of October, attended by Spanish King Juan Carlos I and Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero.
The original complex of museum buildings, which houses one of the largest collections of European art in the world, dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries. It was commissioned by King Charles III.

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