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Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson and the Museo Nacional del Prado have jointly published Diarios de Federico de Madrazo en el Museo del Prado (1834–1894), a three-volume work by Pedro José Martínez Plaza that brings together an exceptional collection of historical documents, offering an insight into the personal and professional life of one of the leading figures of nineteenth-century Spanish painting.

The publication brings together the diaries kept by Federico de Madrazo over six decades, providing a first-hand account of the vibrant artistic, cultural and social life of his time. His entries record events and references to numerous prominent figures of the period, as well as the cultural circles of cities such as Madrid, Rome and Paris, which played an important role in the artist’s training and career.

These everyday observations shed light on Madrazo’s artistic career and his family, professional and institutional relationships, while providing valuable information about some of the major events and personalities of the nineteenth century. Of particular significance is his close association with the Museo del Prado, which he directed from 1860 to 1868 and again from 1881 to 1894, and whose history was deeply intertwined with that of the Madrazo family.

Edited by Pedro José Martínez Plaza, Diarios de Federico de Madrazo en el Museo del Prado (1834–1894) is a valuable resource for researchers, art historians and readers interested in nineteenth-century Spanish culture, offering a first-hand perspective on the artistic life of the period and the intellectual, family and institutional networks that helped shape it.