Madrid is a crowd-puller for every art museum lover

Madrid is not only the capital of Spain, it also offers a variety of art museums, which makes it an absolute crowd-puller for art lovers. The selection of art epochs and styles is large. There are museums that exhibit modern art and contemporary art as well as exhibitions of long past eras. Accordingly, the works of art range from jewelry and fashion exhibitions to photography and architecture. Madrid is a world city of art and it proves it with this variety of museums.

Paseo del Prado – The Museum Triangle

The Paseo del Prado boulevard is the oldest historic street in Madrid, which makes it a sight in itself. In addition, the so-called museum triangle is located on it. This is so because three of the most important museums in the world are within a few hundred meters. The Museo del Prado is a painting museum that has a breathtaking exhibition with more than 5000 drawings, 2000 prints, 2000 other art objects and a sculpture collection with 700 objects. The Museo del Prado not only offers the world’s best collection of Spanish painters, but also presents some works by Botticelli, Caravaggio, Albrecht Dürer and Rembrandt.

It continues with the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, which is the National Museum of Spain, named in 1992 after the Spanish Queen Sofia. Above all you can find newer Spanish art, but also a library with about 40,000 works. These mainly deal with 20th century art. The combination of art and the associated knowledge makes the museum the most popular art museum in the world, which welcomed over 3.3 million visitors in 2016 alone.

The museum triangle is complemented by the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, which is one of the most important private collections in the world. The exhibited paintings were compiled by Heinrich Thyssen and his son Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon. The exhibitions are structured according to the art epochs and thus lead through the history of art from earlier works to the experimental avant-garde and Pop Art. If you follow the Paseo del Prado further, it becomes clear why it is called an art mile next to the museum triangle. The CaixaForum is also located here. The building’s eye-catcher is its special architecture. They seem to float as the gardens grow vertically on the house wall. These consist of around 15,000 plants and 250 plant species. Inside, there are other art objects, especially photographs that are exhibited in the galleries.

Archeology

In addition to these four important art museums, the city also houses the Spanish National Museum of Archeology (Museo Arqueológico Nacional de España). This was founded in 1867 and houses a total of 13,000 exhibits on its 10,000 sqm area. The focus is on historical finds from the Iberian Peninsula, including the “Dama de Elche”, a bust from the 5th century BC. The museum also exhibits other collections of archaeological finds. Furthermore, a replica of the prehistoric rock painting from the Altamira cave can be admired.

The world of museums

In addition to the many art museums that cover a wide variety of art eras and present their works, Madrid also has a wide selection of other museums. There is also a bullfighting museum, shipping museum, the National Museum of Decorative Art and the Royal Botanical Garden. In addition to classical art, you will also find a lot about Spanish history in general and Madrid in particular. If you want to see as many museums as possible, it is not only advisable to spend some time in the city, but to think about what is most important to you. This is the best way to plan your visits, as various combination tickets are also offered, which offer reduced access to several exhibitions and museums.