Fundación IBERDROLA to help Prado Museum replace its lighting system with LED lights

Fundación IBERDROLA becomes Benefactor to the Prado Museum
The ‘Lighting the Prado’ project will take four years to complete, with LED lights being installed in every room at the art gallery
The initiative was announced to coincide with the presentation of the restorations carried out on three works by Ribera, Goya and Herrera the Younger, and the upcoming rehabilitation of a painting by El Greco

16-7-2013 — /europawire.eu/ — The Prado Museum is to carry out a total overhaul of its lighting system with the backing of the Fundación IBERDROLA. This ambitious project, referred to as Lighting the Prado, will involve the replacement of the existing halogen lights with others equipped with LED technology in every room at the art gallery.

The goal is to enhance the quality of presentation and conservation of the collections, while also saving energy and improving the building’s environmental rating, as part of the museum’s Energy Efficiency Programme.

The agreement was announced today at the Prado Museum by the Chairman of the Fundación IBERDROLA, Manuel Marín; the Chairman of the Royal Board of Trustees of the Prado Museum, José Pedro Pérez; and the Director of the Prado Museum, Miguel Zugaza.

The initiative will run for the next four years and involve the replacement of the lighting equipment in every one of the exhibition rooms in the Villanueva building.

The technology used will allow to reduce electricity consumption by up to 75% and minimise expenditure on maintenance work, as LED devices have a service life of over 15 years.

Once the project is complete, the new installation will avoid the emission of some 500 tonnes of CO2 per year. The absence of UV radiation and spikes in emissions will also improve the conditions for conserving the works. The new system will also enhance the exhibition conditions, as it will improve the clarity of vision, intensify the colours and create an effect of depth without distorting the compositions.

By signing this agreement, the Fundación IBERDROLA is reinforcing its collaboration with the Prado Museum and acquiring the status of Benefactor. The foundation had already been a supporting member of the museum’s Restoration programme since the year 2010. This support allowed the gallery to restore important works such as the equestrian portraits Philip III on Horseback and Margaret of Austria on Horseback, by Diego Velázquez; The Wine of St. Martin’s Day, by Pieter Bruegel the Elder; and the reproduction of the Gioconda, to mention a few.

New restorations backed by the Fundación IBERDROLA

The Fundación IBERDROLA has also contributed towards the restoration of the worksSaint Jerome Writing by Ribera, Maria Luisa of Parma wearing Panniers by Goya andThe Triumph of St. Hermenegild by Herrera the Younger, which were unveiled today.

The work carried out on Saint Jerome Writing allowed to repair the edges that had been damaged by damp and insects, remove the layers of oxidised varnish and clean the whole pictorial surface, restoring the spatial planes and the corporeality of the saint.

The painting was added to the Prado Museum collection in September of last year, having come from the Columbus House Museum in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where it had been kept since 1940. The studies carried out allowed to identify Jusepe de Ribera as the author of this canvas, which had previously been attributed to the Valencian painter Esteban March. This work will now be exhibited in the rooms devoted to naturalism and to Ribera.

In the case of The Triumph of St. Hermenegild, by Herrera the Younger, the work carried out consisted of removing the build-up of varnishes, dust and glue that had obscured the painting. This brought back the original bright colours, as well as the volumes and perspective.

This painting, one of the first items bought for the Prado Museum, is one of the essential works in the history of Spanish painting from the Golden Age. It was completed in 1654 for the main altar of the church of the Discalced Carmelites in Madrid.

As for the painting Maria Luisa de Parma wearing Panniers, by Francisco de Goya, the removal of the thick layer of yellowed varnish restored its original brightness and colours, as well as the beauty of the hues of the various materials (silk, gold and jewels) featured in the work. This painting, which dates from 1789, is one of the most technically elaborate royal portraits to have been completed by the painter from Aragon.

The Fundación IBERDROLA will also be backing the restoration of The Disrobing of Christ by El Greco by the experts at the Prado Museum, also announced today. This painting will be restored in the workshops at the art gallery, under a commission from the Cathedral Chapter of Toledo. The tasks will include the completion of radiographic, infra-red and ultraviolet studies on the painting, before proceeding to clean the surface, remove the layers of varnish and consolidate the pictorial layer.

The collaboration agreement between the Prado Museum and the Fundación IBERDROLA also provides for the awarding of restoration grants as part of the institution’s Scholarships and Research Grants scheme. The aim of this initiative is to complete the training of future experts and foster research in the field of restoration.

About the Fundación IBERDROLA
The Fundación IBERDROLA, with Ignacio Galán as its Founding Trustee and Manuel Marín in the role of Chairman, focuses its activity in four main spheres of action: training and research, energy sustainability and biodiversity, cooperation and solidarity, and cultural development in the countries where the IBERDROLA Group operates.

As well as its collaboration with the Prado Museum, other important projects run by the Fundación IBERDROLA in the area of the conservation of our historical-artistic heritage include the Atlantic Romanesque Plan (www.romanicoatlantico.org) and the Lighting Programme for unique buildings, with over 80 interventions in recent years.

As regards support for research, the highlight is the foundation’s Scholarships and Research Grants Scheme. In the field of biodiversity, the flagship project is the Bird Migration Programme (www.migraciondeaves.org). Finally, in the field of support for solidarity, it runs the Social Grants Programme.

For more information about Fundación IBERDROLA, visit the web page www.fundacioniberdrola.org.

Follow us on:

TWITTER: click here for latest IBERDROLA news.

FACEBOOK: find out all information on activities, initiatives and sponsorship of the Company.

YOUTUBE: corporative channel with videos of the Company.

FLICKR: Company images at your disposal.

SLIDESHARE: we provide you with the Company presentations.

RSS: to be informed on Company NEWS, SIGNIFICANT EVENTS AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS in real time.

PROFESSIONAL MULTIMEDIA: it is closer to the media than ever, you can use our new communication tools.

###