I was thinking, maybe they did this in order to get more visitors? How do you guys thing the "new photo rule" would affect the number of visits the Prado gets? Will this increase or decrease attendance?
It could have been to increase sales in the gift shop for the postcards and museum books people will want to buy, since they cannot take a photo to remember their visit. It could be that the Prado wants exclusive copywrite of the painting in the Prado and not happy seeing photographs on the internet.
But the new rule is will not increase or decrease attendance, it just to make it a pain for the average person who will make a once in a lifetime visit and cannot have a snapshot.
Lets not hope Paris's Lovue, Orsay and Rome's top art museums do not follow this stupid rule. There is still Sevilla's Bellas Arts to photograph great Spanish painting and also in the cathedral too!
Bill