A few days ago, National Heritage began the countdown to the reopening of a renovated museum: the Museum of Painting at the Monastery of El Escorial, which houses the complex’s art collection. The museum, which has been open to the public since 1963, is currently undergoing a major modernization and reorganization. Thanks to this new approach to reviewing the painting collection, some twenty previously unseen paintings have come to light— 20 works that have never been exhibited.
The museum is located in what was once Philip II’s summer palace. The monarch kept his most prized works in the palace complex , notably his large collection of religious paintings. These were scattered throughout part of the convent “and needed their own lighting,” in the words of curator Carmen García-Frías.
11 September 2026 10:00 + more dates
What the new Museum of Painting at the Monastery of El Escorial Will Be Like
García-Frías notes that “The Monastery of El Escorial has always had a first-rate art collection.” This revamped art gallery will display a collection of 99 pieces (20 of which have never been seen before) across nine rooms, including highlights such as Rogier van der Weyden’s *The Calvary* and the rejected paintings from the basilica’s main altarpiece.
The paintings will be organized in a completely different way: “the patronage of each monarch” will be highlighted, emphasizing their tastes and preferences. Through the works they treasured, we will be able to learn what themes interested them, as well as which artists and schools…
In addition, the reopening is accompanied by a redesign of the exhibition spaces and the modernization of the facilities. This project is funded by the European Next Generation Funds and is part of the renovation of areas within the complex, such as the Patio de los Evangelistas.