MADRID.- As part of its ongoing effort to reexamine the role of women in shaping the history of art, the Museo del Prado, together with Fundación ”la Caixa,” will premiere a new documentary titled The Prado in Women’s Voices: Isabel de Farnesio on December 15. The screening will take place simultaneously at the auditorium of the Jerónimos Building—free to the public until seats are filled—and on CaixaForum+, the foundation’s digital platform for cultural programming.

This 35-minute film is the latest addition to the documentary series Masterpieces of the Prado and their Women Patrons, a project launched in 2022 to foreground the often-overlooked contributions of female patrons throughout history. The new chapter turns its attention to Queen Isabel de Farnesio, a central figure in 18th-century Spain whose artistic vision shaped a significant portion of the royal collections that eventually became part of the Prado.

For more than fifty years, Isabel de Farnesio cultivated a sophisticated and deeply personal relationship with the arts. Backed by the financial independence and influence she wielded within the monarchy, she developed a discerning eye and a strong curatorial instinct, commissioning works and guiding acquisitions that would leave a lasting imprint on Spanish cultural heritage. The documentary traces this extraordinary trajectory, revealing how her patronage helped define the collection we recognize today as one of the world’s greatest artistic repositories.

Guided by Noelia García—Professor of Art History at the University of Murcia and curator of the Prado in Women’s Voices program—the film brings together an ensemble of voices. Curators from the Prado, including Miguel Falomir, Alejandro Vergara, Manuel Arias, and Elena Cenalmor, offer insights drawn from years of research and stewardship. They are joined by leading academics from universities in Barcelona, Jaén, and Madrid, whose collective expertise deepens the historical and artistic portrait of the queen.

The documentary will continue to be available after its premiere on CaixaForum+, the Museo del Prado’s YouTube channel, and through daily in-person screenings at 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. in the Museum’s lecture hall for the duration of the exhibition itinerary.

Through this new film, the Prado once again underscores the fundamental role that women—often acting quietly behind the scenes—played in shaping the artistic legacy that defines European cultural history today.