Media: El País _ Estilo de vida
Original title: Generosos jardineros que comparten la belleza
Author: Eduardo Barba
Date: July 5, 2026
Generous Gardeners Who Share Beauty
From the Museo del Prado to the l’Albarda Garden and the Todolí Citrus Fundació, initiatives that make botanical art and nature accessible to everyone
A wet nurse breastfeeds a newborn while the woman looks directly at the viewer. The fabrics of her white headdress and the red sleeve of her dress echo the heavy vermilion draperies framing the upper part of the scene. On the right, a naked woman looks to one side, absorbed by something beyond what is depicted. She is immersed in a bathtub whose interior is lined with immaculate linen, to prevent her skin from touching the metal of the vessel. In her hand she holds a red carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus), a symbol of her emotional bond, probably with Henry II of France, since the sitter may well be Diane de Poitiers, as the Museo del Prado website—which holds this work—notes.
This painting was acquired through the bequest of Carmen Sánchez García (1929–2016), who named the Prado her universal heir in her will. Thanks to her generosity, the museum was able to acquire a fine handful of artistic treasures that splendidly enrich its already exceptional collection. In this French-school work, other species bloom alongside the carnation: hoary stock (Matthiola incana), pot marigold (Calendula officinalis), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), white rose (Rosa × alba ‘Semiplena’), wild pansy (Viola tricolor)… In a sense, Carmen Sánchez offers these fragrances to those who contemplate the oil painting. This floral bouquet can be enjoyed in the exhibition Prado. 21st Century, which brings together the intense work undertaken by this cultural institution during the first quarter of the century—it can be visited until 27 September.
In the exhibition rooms, among many other subjects, visitors encounter the altruism of people who have given society the opportunity to enjoy works of art that, without their magnanimous gesture, would have remained visible to only a few. Carmen Sánchez’s kindness thus joins other splendid examples, including Plácido Arango Arias (1931–2020), Hans Rudolf Gerstenmaier (1934–2021), José Luis Várez Fisa (1928–2014), and many more.
In the realm of plants and gardening, there are also generous examples of people striving to leave behind a beautiful legacy. One is the Enrique Montoliu Foundation (FUNDEM), which acquires land across Spain and allows nature to take the lead, protecting areas of high ecological value. The foundation also manages the l’Albarda Garden in the Alicante town of Pedreguer, home to Montoliu himself (Valencia, 1948), who, as he puts it, wanted it to be “something shared from the very beginning.” “Soon after I started it, I was already offering free guided tours so people could see it. I never intended it to be a wholly private garden. I have always liked sharing; visits do not bother me—quite the opposite, they enrich me. That is how I have met wonderful people,” he explains. “I think that anyone sensitive enough to give up a morning of their free time to visit a garden is already someone special,” he says with a smile.
Another plant-based project is the Todolí Citrus Fundació, conceived by artistic director and nature enthusiast Vicent Todolí (Palmera, 1958). It has created a true paradise-like orchard, where hundreds of citrus species, varieties and cultivars are grown in the town of Palmera, Valencia. Todolí, who has overseen internationally renowned art collections, outlines the guiding principle behind his fruit garden: “This is a museum, with a collection that does not need changing because it changes virtually every hour. Simply seeing how it evolves throughout the year, how the trees grow—also depending on the weather and the light—or when the birds are here and sing more or less… It is a museum-garden. In other kinds of museums, the experience is generally mainly visual, but here every single sense is engaged.” Thanks to the foundation, visitors can explore it, delight in its paths, and learn from it and its plants.
In all these gardens, whether more artistic or more landscape-oriented, the line separating them becomes blurred, because magnanimity blossoms in both realms and allows thousands of visitors to remember forever the people who made them possible.
May a spring abundant in legacies and donations arrive, so that new aspirations may pour down. With benefactors like these, humanity is kinder and more beautiful: thank you for being gardeners who cultivate hope.
