Thursday, October 06, 2005

Rafael Moneo

Expanding the Prado...


Columns of near-Karnak proportions at the New Prado Museum Posted by Picasa


The Honourable Reader who has kept faith in this blog and keeps visiting it despite of everything can get some exclusive insights into Madrid's life now and then. How else could he get a glimpse of one of the new gigantic exhibition rooms, still under construction, planned for the expansion of the Museu del Prado, due to open in 2007?
Rafael Moneo, the celebrated Spanish architect who gave us the absolutely wonderful National Museum of Roman Art in Merida, got this challenging project. You can read more about this Pritzker Laureate in here: www.pritzkerprize.com/secone96.htm
Trying to impress the Pushkin-Caravaggio expert from Anjou I managed to secure a private viewing of the building site. Most thrilling moment? When we were precisely under the oval-shaped room where the "Las Meninas" is on show. For a split second, you didn't have to be a fan of the "Italian Job" or of "Ocean's Eleven" to imagine yourself robbing the Velazquez masterpiece and leaving, with a smile, if not with the Angevine herself, at least with either with Ms. Charlize Theron or Ms. Julia Roberts...

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