The Museo Nacional del Prado pays tribute to its own history with a permanent installation Image of the exhibition galleries Photo © Museo Nacional del Prado. MADRID .-The Museo del Prado opened its doors for the first time on 19 November 1819 with the name of Real Museo de Pintura y Escultura. That early museum displayed only 311 works, all of them by Spanish painters. Now, 200 years on, the Museo del Prado is considered Spains leading cultural institution, shared cultural patrimony of which all Spaniards are proud and a legacy of incalculable value in the history of culture. Taking the e...