SHORT TAKES : Irate Art-Lovers Pound on Prado
Dozens of angry people pounded on the doors of the Prado Museum early today in a futile attempt to get into a wildly popular exhibition of Diego Velazquez paintings, which just ended its two-month run.
More than 500,000 people flocked to the exhibition after it opened Jan. 24, lining up several hours to see 80 paintings by the 17th-Century Spanish master. It was billed as the most complete Velazquez retrospective ever held.
Museum officials said they were forced to reopen the exhibition to latecomers twice Sunday night. This followed a public pledge by the museum’s director that the show would not close until the last visitor had gone away.
But about 40 people were turned away shortly after midnight, despite banging on the door and chanting “We want in!”
The exhibition featured such works as “Las Meninas,” “The Forge of Vulcan,” “The Spinners,” “The Rokeby Venus,” and “The Portrait of Juan de Pareja.”
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