Madrid: An Art Lover’s Paradise
I couldn’t possibly spend an entire month in Madrid without writing at least one entry about the city’s fantastic museums. Madrid is a virtual treasure trove of spectacular works of art, and is absolutely packed with art venues. If you are not much into art, you can skip this entry.
I am going to briefly write about ‘the Big 3’ museums, but trust me, there are dozens more that deserve to be included! If you love art...you must come to Madrid!
THE PRADO
I just got back from visiting the Museo del Prado, one of the world’s top museums, boasting an incredible collection of Spanish and European art, much of it originally collected by Spanish royalty. Many consider it to be the ‘best’ collection of art in the world.
Today was my first visit to the Prado. I plan to go again next week. Like the Louvre or the Met, you can’t “do” the Prado in one visit. For me, it would take MANY visits since two hours seems to be the limit of my art appreciation attention span. But I’m just going to go twice.
The Prado is best known for its extensive collection of works by three renowned Spanish artists: Velazquez, Goya and El Greco (who, in truth, was actually Greek—‘el greco’ means 'the Greek’ in Spanish—but he lived in Spain as an adult.) I focused today's visit primarily on these great artists, but was also able to check out many works by non-Spanish artists as well. Que fantastico!
At right is one of the Prado's BEST: Las Meninas by Velazquez, one of the greatest pieces of art of all time. (And Nancy, I gladly said 'hi' to them for you!):
THE REINA SOFIA
Just down the street from the Prado is Madrid’s museum of modern art—the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. I visited the museum about a week ago with Welmoud, my Dutch friend from elemadrid. Unfortunately I wasn’t in an artsy mood, so I kind of just wandered through, not experiencing the thrill I felt at the other two museums. In fact, Welmoud and I probably spent as much time at the museum as we did chatting at the adjacent Starbucks during a mid-viewing break. :)
Like the Prado, the Reina Sofia has pieces from Europe and other regions, but works by Spanish artists dominate. In fact, almost half the museum is devoted to Pablo Piscaso, a Spaniard who fled to France when Franco took power. They have everything from his doodles on newspapers to world-renowned masterpieces, including Guernica (below). I was particularly taken by some of his busts. Brilliant!
Along with Picasso, they also have many pieces by fellow Spanish artists Miro and Dali, (examples below), as well as numerous pieces by other artists. Despite my lackadaisical mood while at the Reina Sofia, I’d definitely say it’s a Must-Do when in Madrid.
THE THYSSEN
The Museo de Thyssen-Bornemisza’ was the first of the three museums that I visited, just two days after I arrived. Although it is often considered the least spectacular of the three, I had such a fantastic time here. It really gave me a shot of creativity about my future (which is another story, for later) and before I knew it, four hours had passed.
Many people feel this museum complements where the Prado is weak--like Impressionism--so if you love art or have two weeks or more in Madrid, I’d recommend going to the Thyssen as well as the other two. Here are a few pieces that stuck out for me:
(Degas/Kandinsky/Lindner)
I am going to briefly write about ‘the Big 3’ museums, but trust me, there are dozens more that deserve to be included! If you love art...you must come to Madrid!
THE PRADO
I just got back from visiting the Museo del Prado, one of the world’s top museums, boasting an incredible collection of Spanish and European art, much of it originally collected by Spanish royalty. Many consider it to be the ‘best’ collection of art in the world.Today was my first visit to the Prado. I plan to go again next week. Like the Louvre or the Met, you can’t “do” the Prado in one visit. For me, it would take MANY visits since two hours seems to be the limit of my art appreciation attention span. But I’m just going to go twice.
The Prado is best known for its extensive collection of works by three renowned Spanish artists: Velazquez, Goya and El Greco (who, in truth, was actually Greek—‘el greco’ means 'the Greek’ in Spanish—but he lived in Spain as an adult.) I focused today's visit primarily on these great artists, but was also able to check out many works by non-Spanish artists as well. Que fantastico!
At right is one of the Prado's BEST: Las Meninas by Velazquez, one of the greatest pieces of art of all time. (And Nancy, I gladly said 'hi' to them for you!):
THE REINA SOFIA
Just down the street from the Prado is Madrid’s museum of modern art—the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. I visited the museum about a week ago with Welmoud, my Dutch friend from elemadrid. Unfortunately I wasn’t in an artsy mood, so I kind of just wandered through, not experiencing the thrill I felt at the other two museums. In fact, Welmoud and I probably spent as much time at the museum as we did chatting at the adjacent Starbucks during a mid-viewing break. :)
Like the Prado, the Reina Sofia has pieces from Europe and other regions, but works by Spanish artists dominate. In fact, almost half the museum is devoted to Pablo Piscaso, a Spaniard who fled to France when Franco took power. They have everything from his doodles on newspapers to world-renowned masterpieces, including Guernica (below). I was particularly taken by some of his busts. Brilliant!
Along with Picasso, they also have many pieces by fellow Spanish artists Miro and Dali, (examples below), as well as numerous pieces by other artists. Despite my lackadaisical mood while at the Reina Sofia, I’d definitely say it’s a Must-Do when in Madrid. 
THE THYSSEN
The Museo de Thyssen-Bornemisza’ was the first of the three museums that I visited, just two days after I arrived. Although it is often considered the least spectacular of the three, I had such a fantastic time here. It really gave me a shot of creativity about my future (which is another story, for later) and before I knew it, four hours had passed.
Many people feel this museum complements where the Prado is weak--like Impressionism--so if you love art or have two weeks or more in Madrid, I’d recommend going to the Thyssen as well as the other two. Here are a few pieces that stuck out for me:
(Degas/Kandinsky/Lindner)