Imagine this: Diego Velázquez's self-portrait in Las Meninas could somehow witness the scene in front of it today. Instead of a tranquil studio, it would see a throng of people, all vying for a glimpse of the masterpiece. But here's the twist: The Prado Museum in Madrid, home to this iconic painting, doesn't want more visitors.
Initially, the museum, like many cultural institutions, worried about attracting enough visitors, especially during economic downturns and the pandemic. Now, the director, Miguel Falomir, faces a different challenge: the risk of becoming 'over-saturated' due to its own success. This is a fascinating problem to have, isn't it?
Falomir isn't aiming for ever-increasing attendance records. The museum is content with the 3.5 million visitors it welcomed last year, a record-breaking number. He even stated, while presenting the museum's program for 2026, that "The Prado does not need a single visitor more." He also added that a museum can 'collapse due to success, like the Louvre, with some rooms becoming over-saturated.'
To put this in perspective, while the Louvre in Paris attracts significantly more visitors – around 8.7 million in 2024 – the Prado is considerably smaller, roughly eight to ten times less in size. This means the Prado experiences a higher density of visitors per square meter, leading to crowding issues.
And this is the part most people miss: The pressure is most noticeable in front of Las Meninas, a painting that draws crowds throughout the day. To combat this, the Prado has launched a 'host plan,' focusing on enhancing the quality of the visitor experience rather than simply boosting numbers. Falomir compared the current situation to a crowded subway during rush hour, emphasizing that the number of visitors shouldn't be the sole measure of a museum's success; the quality of the visit matters more.
In the past, Falomir has expressed concerns about congestion around Las Meninas and other popular works, such as Francisco Goya's 'Majas' paintings and Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights. A university study revealed that Bosch's triptych holds visitors' attention the longest, with an average viewing time of over four minutes, contributing to bottlenecks in that particular room.
The 'host plan' prioritizes managing visitor flow within the museum. The plan includes optimizing entrances, reducing group sizes, and strictly enforcing existing rules, such as the ban on photography inside the galleries, to minimize congestion and distractions.
Another goal is to rebalance the museum's audience profile, as local concerns grow about the impact of Madrid's booming tourism industry. Data shows that around 65-75% of the museum's visitors last year were foreigners. The Prado aims to attract more Spanish visitors, believing that a museum shouldn't become detached from its local audience.
Controversy alert: The Prado's approach places it at the center of a broader discussion among major museums about overtourism and sustainability. The Louvre, for instance, faces similar challenges, with its facilities struggling under the weight of large crowds. Its director, Laurence des Cars, has described visits as a 'physical ordeal' and is implementing measures to ease pressure, particularly around the Mona Lisa. This raises the question: Is there a 'perfect' number of visitors for a museum? And what measures should be taken to balance accessibility with the preservation of the visitor experience?
What are your thoughts? Do you agree with the Prado's approach? Share your opinions in the comments below!
