In Conversation: Writing the Prado with John Banville

Join us for an in-conversation event with acclaimed Irish writer John Banville to mark the publication of his new book, The Eye of the Painter.

Written as part of the Museo del Prado’s Writing the Museum project between October and November 2024, the book reflects Banville’s singular engagement with one of the world’s great painting collections and offers a meditation on art, observation and the act of seeing.

Dr Caroline Campbell, Director of the National Gallery of Ireland will facilitate a conversation between author John Banville, Miguel Falomir Faus, Director of the Museo del Prado, and Valerie Miles, literary editor and Writing the Museum advisor. Together, they will explore the experience of writing at the Prado, the dialogue between literature and painting, and the enduring power of art to inspire contemporary thought and creativity.

This special event offers audiences a rare opportunity to hear one of Ireland’s foremost writers reflect on art, influence and imagination in conversation with leading figures from two of Europe’s most distinguished cultural institutions.

The Eye of the Painter, by John Banville, is the third volume in the Writing the Prado collection, following The Spirit Level, by 2020 PEN/Faulkner Fiction Award winner Chloe Aridjis, and The Museum Guard, by Nobel Prize winner J.M. Coetzee.

Tickets are available at the link above - advance booking recommended.