Iberdrola Scholars 2016 tell their experience in the Prado Museum
Fundación Iberdrola España’s commitment to the conservation and restoration of artistic and cultural heritage is embodied in programmes and collaborations with institutions like the Prado Museum. This firm alliance aims to support the work of the Museum’s Restoration Workshop and provide young specialists with an induction, through Iberdrola Scholarships, into the painting, sculpture and technical office areas.
After seven years of intense collaboration, Fundación Iberdrola has granted 20 scholarships and participated in the restoration of more than twenty masterpieces. These include works of great significance like: “Adam and Eve” by Durero, “The disrobing of Christ” by El Greco, “The wine of Saint Martin’s day” by Bruegel, “The Crucifixion” by Van Der Weyden, “The threshing ground” by Goya, etc.
To hear the accounts of professionals and trainees from the Restoration Workshop, Iberdrola went to the Prado museum, and we conversed with Natalia Martín, Emilio Casero and Lugán Hurtado, three of the students who were awarded the scholarships in the 2017 edition. All of them highlighted the learning and the knowledge acquired but also their great personal experiences during the time spent at the Museum’s Workshop.
Luján, who carried out his scholarship in the Technical Office, whose work involves digitalising images and preparing materials for radiography, said that “having the chance to work with top professionals and with such a prestigious collection really makes a difference”.
The same went for Alicia Peral, an Iberdrola scholarship trainee in the Museum Workshop in 2012. Thanks to this training, Alicia obtained a high level of specialisation, enabling her to compete for a place as a restorer at the Museum.
Enrique Quintana, the Workshop’s Restoration and Documentation Coordinator, talks about the positive impact of these scholarships. Within the scope of the excellent training of these students, the contribution to society of their work restoring art works is also noteworthy.
Year in, year out, Fundación Iberdrola gives continuity to its commitment to the Prado Museum, in order to promote “training for excellence and the conservation of art heritage”, as stresses Carmen Recio, head of the Art and Culture department.