Not only Guernica! Contemporary art at the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid
Indice
Another essential museum in Madrid, the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia houses works of Spanish and inter
national art from the late nineteenth century up to the latest works of contemporary art. Since 1992, the collection has been housed in a former hospital founded in 1700, an element that increases its charm due to the contrast between classical architecture and contemporary art.
In 2005 the museum building has been completed by the extension designed by the architect Jean Nouvel. He perhaps drew inspiration from the Center Pompidou in Paris as can be deduced from the outside, where two large glass elevators allow you to enjoy a splendid view on the city.
The permanent collection of the Reina Sofia includes works by the Cubist and Surrealist avant-gardes with Picasso, Braque, Dalì, Mirò, Magritte, up to Francis Bacon and Abstract Expressionism in its American and European variations. Among the works preserved here, a separate mention goes to Guernica, the masterpiece that Picasso dedicated to the Basque town which was razed to the ground by republican bombing in 1937. At the behest of the artist, the big painting (more than 7 metres lenght) returned only in 1981 to Spain, when the Nation has been finally freed from Francoism and has eturned to a democratic government.
A program of temporary exhibitions dedicated to the most interesting artists of the contemporary art scene is added to the permanent collection of the Reina Sofia. This rich artistic offer makes the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia one of the favorite destinations for contemporary art lovers. A thorough visit to the Reina Sofia would take several hours, so you can choose to take a guided tour of its masterpieces.
Useful tips
All visitors enter the Reina Sofia Museum mainly to see Picasso’s Guernica. Be smarter and enjoy the entire collection which is beautiful and only around closing time go to see Guernica: at that point the hundreds of tourist heads should no longer obscure your view!
Skip the queu and buy the entrance ticket HERE
INFORMATION
Location:
Calle de Santa Isabel 52, Madrid
Opening hours
Monday – Saturday from 10 am to 9 pm
Sunday from 10 am to 7 pm (but check the website a the opening hours could change)
Tuesday closed
Entrance fees
Whole ticket: 10 E
Book HERE your guided tour and entrance and skip the queue
Free entrance:
Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from 7 pm to 9 pm
Sunday from 1.30 pm to 7 pm
Free entrance everyday with Madrid Card.
Free entrance everyday for under 18 and students under 25
How to get to Museum Reina Sofia
Underground: Atocha, line 1.
Bus: 6, 10, 14, 19, 26, 27, 32, 34, 36, 37, 41, 45, 59, 85, 86, 102, 119, C1, C2 and E1
VISIT THE OTHER MUSEUMS OF PASEO DEL ARTE