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Museo Nacional Reina Sofía

+254
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Opening Hours
+34 917 741 000
+34 917 741 000
Phone number
Do not wait to book your activities
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Tours
Reina Sofía Museum Guided Tour
(192)
$24.74
Tickets
Madrid 3 Museum Pass
$32.98

94 reviews of Museo Nacional Reina Sofía

Live the art from the inside

The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía is a peculiar museum. It is one of the great international Contemporary Art museums but it has two basic slogans: quality in the choice of the exhibited works and being a communication motor between the artist and the viewer.

To get there I prefer the subway (line 1) even though there are a few parking lots nearby and you can use any of the many bus lines stopping in front of it. It is located in a privileged place, near other great museums like the Thyssen or the Prado.

It was officially inaugurated in 1990 even though the collection was begun by the Bourbon Kings. A museum with such characteristics runs the risk of becoming a warehouse of absurd works. The "breakdown" of art started at the end of the 19th century. With the loss of its colonial power, pessimism started invading Europe and the artists called everything into question. Destroy the ways that had led to chaos was necessary, in the way of essence rediscovery. This is how the Impressionist movement and then Surrealism were born.


Many artists currently keep with this line, believing that the visual impact and surprise is the key to success. The museum avoided this temptation and only exhibits quality works, in which the artists make futurist offers.

But what I like the most in the Reina Sofía is that it is to live an experience: you can attend some of the various activities to learn and understand art from the inside. This is why when I spend some days in Madrid I look up the program and I sign up for one of the workshops. It is not a museum to admire contemporary works but to learn how to live art.

It opens every day, except Tuesday, between 10 am and 9 pm. On Sunday it closes in the afternoon. Even though you do not go to the museum, anyone can go in the cafeteria, library, terrace, gardens, etc.
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+4

Your best option

In Madrid’s museum circuit, the Reina Sofía is your best option if you want to experience avant-garde art and art from the second half of the 20th century. The renovations and extensions of the facilities undertaken in 2005 greatly improved the museum and added non-museum facilities like cafés, libraries, and stores. The expanded Nouvel building hosts temporary exhibits and art from the late 20th century while the Sabatini building (with its famous panoramic lifts) houses the permanent collection. Aside from Guernica itself, which is a must-see, take a moment to check out the rough sketches Picasso made while preparing the work.

You also can’t miss the surrealist collection, Salvador Dalí, and the change to learn about lesser-known Spanish artists of the 20th century like Luis Gordillo, Pablo Palazuelo, or the Equipo Crónica. Before leaving, don’t forget to go up to the roof-terrace to soak in the views of the surrounding neighborhoods of Atocha and Lavapiés.
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Stunning

The Reina Sofía museum is one of the most impressive in Madrid and Spain. It is the most important art center of the 20th century in Spain and was officially inaugurated in September 1992. It was created thanks to artistic funds proceeding from the Spanish Museum of Contemporary Art (MEAC in Spanish) and was named in honor to Queen Sofía.

It is in the Paseo del Prado in the center of the capital city, very close to the Prado, in a building of the 18th century. In the entrance there is a very appealing sculpture reminding a women figure. When you go in you enter a beautiful cloister leading you to the different rooms in the museum. The rooms are very similar to modern museums, all white and rather bright.


As to art you can see in this place, there is of everything, it is something impressive. The main highlight, of course, Picasso's Guernica, a world famous painting located in a room on the second floor, which is always packed with people.

There are also many more of Picasso's paintings, and of other very important paintings like Dalí, Braque, Henry Moore, Francis Bacon, Yves Klein, Cy Twombly, Lucio Fontana, Richard Serra or Ignacio Zuloaga among others. There is a room dedicated to one of my favorite artists: Robert Capa. There you can admire some of the best photographs of this impressive artist.

The truth is there are thousands of things one can recommend in this museum, since art radiates from every corner, so that my piece of advice is to go early because it is quite long to visit it entirely.

By the way, on Saturday afternoon and on Sunday the entrance is free of charge. Ah! And you can have audio guides to understand some of the works better. Also, pictures are not allowed inside.
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+4
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