An Art Tour of Madrid, Spain

The cosmopolitan Spanish city of Madrid is one of Europe’s many arts meccas.

 

In addition to the city’s larger, well-known museums, there are also a variety of smaller independent galleries and boutiques.

 

Here are some of the arts-related “must-sees” the next time you are in Spain’s capital city:

 

Museo del Prado (Paseo del Prado s/n, 28014)

Web:
http://www.museodelprado.es/
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9am – 8pm

Museo del Prado, one of Madrid’s most popular tourist sites, houses the former Spanish Royal Collection, comprised of an impressive array of thousands of paintings, drawings, prints, and sculptures. Works by famous Spanish artists such as de Silva, El Greco, Goya and the Italian great, Caravaggio, can all be found here.

 

Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia (Santa Isabel, 52, 28012)
Web:
http://www.museoreinasofia.es/index_en.html
Hours: Monday to Saturday 10am – 9pm; Sunday 10:00am- 2:30pm; Tuesday: closed

Madrid’s contemporary art center is located just down the street (Paseo del Prado) from the Prado. In addition to hosting a wide variety of visiting exhibitions, the Reina Sofia displays rotating pieces from its permanent collection. The museum visit is organized chronologically and divided into four categories: Historical Avant-Garde Movements, The Triumph and Failure of Modernity, Change in Paradigm, and Contemporary. The collection features works by contemporary art masters such as Picasso (Spanish), Yves Klein (French), Max Ernst (German), Marcel Duchamp (French), Francis Picabia (French), Dan Flavin (American), Roy Lichtenstein (American), Óscar Domínguez (Spanish), and Julio González (Spanish).

 

There is a cluster of independent galleries located in the “pie wedge” formed by the large avenues Calle Granvia and Paseo de la Castellana in the northwestern part of the city. Some of the most notable include the Marlborough Gallery, Garcia Moda y Arte and Cuadros Exoticae. They feature work from Spanish and a wide array of international artists.