IE University students explore the connection between Spanish art and its monarchy with Fundación Amigos del Museo del Prado
Teresa Parladé, an expert from the Fundación Amigos del Museo del Prado, presented Spanish art as a tool of power and diplomacy.
The IE School of Humanities, together with the IE Foundation, has launched a new conference series in collaboration with the Fundación Amigos del Museo del Prado, titled Beyond the Prado. This series will explore the renowned collection of the Prado Museum through a new lens between IE University´s Segovia and Madrid campuses.
The first session, Kings of Art, was led by Teresa Parladé Browne-Swinburne, an expert from the Fundación Amigos del Museo del Prado. She presented art as a tool of power and diplomacy, highlighting the exceptional patronage efforts of monarchs such as Isabel I, Felipe II, Felipe IV, Felipe V with Isabel de Farnesio, Carlos III, and Fernando VII.
The conference began with Parladé Browne-Swinburne referencing two buildings: the Museo del Prado and the Convent of Santa Cruz la Real (the campus of IE University in Segovia), as examples of excellent preservation of royal patronage. These buildings, which once had distinct purposes, have since evolved in function. Then, she expanded on this idea by discussing how different stages of royal patronage shaped Spain's artistic heritage.
"From the 16th to the 19th centuries, the Habsburgs and Bourbons were ambitious patrons who commissioned the finest Western artists to create works for their courts—ranging from grand palaces to urban projects—often as propaganda."
Teresa Parladé Browne-Swinburne
The conference took place at the Segovia Campus. The second event in this collaboration series with the Fundación Amigos del Museo del Prado will be held during Creativity Day, on March 20th and will explore the five senses through artworks in the Prado.