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Visitor at the Prado Museum in front of 'The Descent from the Cross' by Rogier van der Weyden. Museo del Prado
Historic Record for Prado in an Uneven Year for Major Museums

Historic Record for Prado in an Uneven Year for Major Museums

Over 3.4 million visitors passed through the home of 'Las Meninas', while Reina Sofía, Thyssen, and Guggenheim did not surpass the figures of 2023

Miguel Lorenci

Madrid

Jueves, 2 de enero 2025, 18:40

In 2024, the Prado Museum shattered its historical visitor record, attracting 3,457,057 visitors compared to 3,241,263 in 2023. In an uneven year, Patrimonio Nacional also broke its record, but there were no records for Reina Sofía, Thyssen-Bornemisza, or the Guggenheim in Bilbao.

Adding to the 3.4 million visitors at the Prado's main site were over 530,000 who enjoyed its exhibitions outside its premises, nearly reaching 4 million people (3,987,893). The daily average of visitors at the Prado was nearly 10,000 in 2024 (9,580 people), compared to 8,954 in 2023, 6,744 in 2022, 3,192 in 2021, and 3,065 in 2020, the last two years under the detrimental effects of the pandemic.

Almost 45% of its visitors (1,459,026 people) accessed for free. Sixty percent were foreigners and 40% were Spanish. The month with the most visits was May –327,000– with Saturday the 18th –International Museum Day– being the busiest day with 14,497 visitors.

The Reina Sofía received 1,960,249 visitors in 2024 compared to 2,530,560 in 2023, far from its record of 3.6 million. Up to 1,537,105 were at the main site, marking a 9% increase from 2023. Its Palacio de Cristal site in Retiro Park, closed since April 2023 for restoration, received no visitors. The Palacio de Velázquez, also closed for improvements since September, received 319,706 visitors (536,425 in 2023).

Revenue from ticket sales grew by more than 15% compared to 2023, despite 62% of visitors to the main site entering for free. The busiest day of the year was also Saturday, May 18, with 13,089 people, 9,677 at the main site.

Decline

The Thyssen Museum was visited by 951,821 people, a 6% decrease from 2023, when it received 1,012,660 visitors. Of the visitors, 57.6% were national (41.1% from Madrid and 16.4% from the rest of Spain) and 42.4% were international. Visits to the permanent collection were 704,563, a 1.5% decrease from 2023, when 715,395 were recorded. The exhibition 'The Intimate Realism of Isabel Quintanilla' was the most viewed, with 159,122 attendees.

The Picasso Museum in Málaga recorded satisfactory figures, with 792,353 visitors, 13,000 more than in 2023, an increase of 1.7%, just over 7,000 visitors shy of the 800,000 mark. The Carmen Thyssen –an absolute record with 202,000 visitors–, the Pompidou Centre –192,780–, and the Picasso Birthplace –187,036– were not far behind.

There was also no record for the Guggenheim in Bilbao, which with 1,301,343 visitors, closed "a very positive year" with 2% less attendance than in 2023, its record year with 1,324,221 visits. May and June were the best months in its history. 'Symbols and Objects. Pop Art from the Guggenheim Collection', with 882,658 visitors, was the most viewed exhibition at the Bilbao museum. Sixty-seven percent of its visitors were foreigners, with France leading (16%), followed by Germany (8%), Great Britain (7%), the United States (6%), and Italy (5%). Visitors from the Basque Country accounted for 11%, while the percentage of visitors from the rest of Spain was 22%, with Catalonia (4% of total visitors) and Madrid (4%).

Nearly 7.2 million people (7,169,027) visited the monuments, museums, and natural spaces managed by Patrimonio Nacional in 2024, a 12.52% increase from 2023, its previous record. The Royal Palace of Madrid, with over 1.5 million visitors. The Gallery of Royal Collections received 650,000 visitors, 45% of them foreigners. December was the month with the highest attendance, with 555,722 visits to the set of monuments managed by Patrimonio Nacional.

More than 9 million people enjoyed the offerings of the Fundación Lla Caixa in 2024 at the CaixaForum centres across the country and at the CosmoCaixa Science Museum in Barcelona, with an overall increase of 12.33% compared to the previous year.

CosmoCaixa was the centre that received the most visitors, with 1.1 million. It was followed by CaixaForum Madrid, with over 947,000 visitors. The most viewed exhibition at both centres was 'Dinosaurs of Patagonia', with over 431,000 visitors in Barcelona and 252,539 in Madrid.

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todoalicante Historic Record for Prado in an Uneven Year for Major Museums