It’s not without good reason that Madrid boasts to be the European Capital of Art. The three museums of the Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen, house a staggering number of masterpieces from almost every important artist of the past 1000 years. All centrally located within walking distance of each other in the Paseo del Arte, the collections include works by Van Gogh, Picasso, Goya and Bosch.
Visitors can buy a “Paseo del Arte” ticket at any of the museums which gives discounted entry to all three gems.
The Prado
Amassed by the Spanish royal family, the Museo del Prado is one of the oldest and largest collections of art in the world. It boasts hundreds of priceless works of art covering Spanish, Dutch, Flemish, German, Italian, French and British art between 1100 and the 19th century. Among the cavernous galleries at the Prado, masterpieces on display include works by Bosch, Brueghel, Durer, Raphael, Titian, El Greco, Caravaggio, Velazquez, Rubens and Rembrandt - to name but a few. Naturally Spanish art is well represented with large collections by El Greco, Velazquez and Goya. Highlights include; the Black Paintings (Pinturas Negras) by Goya, a wonderfully dark series produced in the 19th century, and the macabre Flemish works by Bosch and Brueghel; The Garden of Earthly Delights and The Triumph of Death.
The Prado is free on Sunday. The nearest Metro stops are Atocha (Blue line #1) and Banco de Espana (Red line #2)
The Reina Sofia
The Centro de Arte Reina Sofia houses Madrid’s collection of modern art in a huge exhibition space converted from a hospital housing Spain’s most famous work of art – Picasso’s Guernica. Picasso’s masterpiece shows the Nazi bombing of Guernica in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. Due to its depiction of the atrocity under Franco, Guernica was displayed in New York until 1981. After Franco’s death in 1975 and the end of his dictatorship in Spain, Picasso’s work returned home. The adjacent galleries show the preliminary sketches by Picasso. Apart from several other works by Picasso, there are paintings by the French artist Magritte, the surrealist Salvador Dali, and a large collection of photography including photographs taken by Robert Capa during the Spanish Civil War.
Free on Saturdays after 2.30pm and all day Sunday. Metro stop Atocha.
The Thyssen
The last of the three big art museums in Madrid’s Paseo del Arte is the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. Collected by the Thyssen-Bornemisza dynasty, the works on display at the Thyssen cover examples of great art from all over the world. There are works here by almost every major artist of the past 600 years; Raphael, Titian, Canaletto, Monet, Renoir, Gauguin, Rodin, and Vincent Van Gogh all have paintings here. More modern works by Freud, Bacon, Pollock, Lichtenstein and Picasso are also on display at this immense private treasure-trove.
The nearest Metro stops to the Thyssen are Banco de Espana and Sevilla (both Red Line #2)
