Miguel Zugaza steps down as Prado director after 15 years

Miguel Zugaza, the youngest and longest-serving director of the Museo del Prado, announced his resignation in November 2016, effective by February 2017. He will return to his native Basque Country to direct the Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, a position he held before moving to Madrid 15 years ago. The Prado's board, led by José Pedro Pérez Llorca, will select a successor to be officially appointed by the Council of Ministers. Potential candidates include Gabriele Finaldi (former deputy director, now at the National Gallery), Miguel Falomir (current deputy director), and Mark Roglán (director of the Meadows Museum, Dallas). During his tenure, Zugaza oversaw the museum's largest expansion by architect Rafael Moneo, reorganized collections, and drove modernization through the 2003 Ley del Prado. He cited personal reasons for leaving, adding that his contribution to the Prado's transformation felt complete. He will remain on the Bicentennial Commission. The Prado enjoys strong private sponsorship, 72% self-financing, and over 3 million annual visitors (12.5% increase), with Italians being the second most frequent foreign visitors. Zugaza's unfulfilled ambition was to bring Picasso's Guernica to the Prado, proposing a Museum of Peace in the renovated Salón de Reinos, alongside works by Goya and Velázquez. The project faced political opposition. The museum's bicentennial in 2019 includes an expansion by Norman Foster annexing the Salón de Reinos.