The Prado

Afinogunova's unconventional yet superbly academic take on museum history and analysis will be of interest to art historians, museum studies professionals, and scholars of visual and cultural history alike. . . . Highly recommended. A. Verplaetse Choice Afinogunovas harrowing story of the Prado museum and its role in creating a more inclusive Spain is both engaging and an important reminder of the role of public institutions, such as museums, in promoting pluralism in liberal democracies even despite often complicated origins. Louie Dean Valencia-Garca EuropeNow Eugenia Afinogunova plays on the complex relationship between the Museo and the Paseo del Prado to make a compelling argument about the liminal and shifting position of the Spanish museum in relation to nationhood and the public. Her deep mining of the archival sources and creative integration of museum and leisure studies should be read by all who love a great museum. M. Elizabeth Boone,author of Vistas de Espaa: American Views of Art and Life in Spain, 18601914 This book is much more than a history of the Prado Museum. Afinogunovas brilliant perception is that the history of the museum can be understood only by situating it in the context of the evolving recreational activities and, increasingly, street politics that took place in the Prado Promenade outside its walls. A fascinating contribution to the history of leisure that shows its imbrication with politics, class, and gender. Jo Labanyi,author of Gender and Modernization in the Spanish Realist Novel A short, intensive, sophisticated, and sweeping study of Madrids iconic art museum. Adrian Shubert Journal of Modern History A rich and richly rewarding book, and one looks forward to the authors future work with great anticipation. Clinton D. Young Bulletin for Spanish and Portuguese Historical Studies Afinogunovas attempt to write a fact-rich history of place is ambitious and brave. It offers a new way of interrogating the history of our cultural institutions by inserting them into a web of cultural manifestations that take into account the complexities of life and history as it really was. Michaela Giebelhausen Hispanic Research Journal

Eugenia Afinogunova is Professor of Spanish and Spanish Culture at Marquette University. She is the co-editor of Spain Is (Still) Different: Tourism and Discourse in Spanish Identity and the author of El idiota superviviente: Artes y letras espaolas frente a la muerte del hombre, 19691990.

Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction: Between the Prado and the Pradera 1 A Royal Public Institution, 18191833 2 Inscribing Monarchy into the New Regime, 18331868 3 Museum and Revolution, 18681874 4 Becoming National, 18741902 5 The Era of the Masses, 19021936 Epilogue: More Important for Spain than the Republic and the Monarchy Combined Notes Bibliography Index