Throughout history, museums have provided inspiration for artists who have gone to contemplate and study the works of their predecessors on display, sometimes to follow their teachings and occasionally to challenge them. In both cases, the dialogue between the artists of the past and the present proved enormously fertile.

On the occasion of the Bicentennial of the Museo del Prado, the Fundación Amigos del Museo del Prado has invited twelve contemporary photographers to work with the pieces held by the Museum. The result is a collection of twenty-four photographs that reflect upon the artistic wealth and historical significance of the Prado while demonstrating that two centuries after its opening, the Museum remains as inspirational as ever.Photoggraphers:  José Manuel Ballester, Bleda y Rosa, Javier Campano, Joan Fontcuberta, Alberto García-Alix, Pierre Gonnord, Chema Madoz, Cristina de Middel, Isabel Muñoz, Aitor Ortiz, Pilar Pequeño y Javier Vallhonrat

The artists who have contributed to this exhibition belong to three different generations with widely divergent ways of understanding and using photography. They have drawn inspiration no only from the works of the great masters in the Museum but also from the building that houses their art and the people who visit it. All these photographers have converted their thoughts and reflections into gazes that materialise on paper, bearing witness both to the Prado’s evocative power and to the creative capacity of those who have produced this collection of photographs.