Madrid Museums: Prado, Thyssen and Reina Sofia Museum

The Museo Del Prado

The Museo Del Prado is the main art museum in Spain and it is located in the centre of Madrid. The museum mainly exhibits paintings and sculptures, but there are some other types of artwork too. The Prado Museum is one of the most visited art museums in the world! At this moment in time, there are 8200 drawings, 7600 paintings, 4800 prints and 1000 sculptures that belong to the museum. The most famous piece of art that is exhibited at the Museo Del Prado is Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor)by Diego Velázquez. The painting presents several figures in a large room, some appear to be speaking to each other and others appear to be looking out of the painting towards the viewer. Velázquez himself features in the painting – he can be spotted at the back of the room behind a large canvas, clutching a paint palette. If the viewer were to look very carefully, they would see the King and Queen´s head and shoulders reflected in a mirror on the back wall.

The Thyssen Museum

The Thyssen Museum is so called because the gallery started as the private collection of Baron Thyssen. It was not until he met his wife, a former Miss Spain, that he was persuaded to hand over his beloved art. The interior of the Thyssen Museum is pink at the request of Baron Thyssen´s wife, “Tita”.  When the Mayor of Madrid wanted to redevelop one of Madrid’s main thoroughfares called the Paseo del Prado, “Tita” convinced him not too as the road works would ruin the image of the museum. The Thyssen Museum is part of the Golden Triangle of Art along with the Museo Del Prado and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.

The Museo Nacional Centro De Arte Reina Sofia

The Museo Nacional Centro De Arte Reina Sofia was named after Queen Sofia of Spain (wife of King Juan Carlos). The museum is mainly dedicated to Spanish art and features pieces from both Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. The most famous piece of art in the museum is Guernica. The aerial bombing of the village of Guernica in the Basque country took place during the Spanish Civil War. It is still unknown the exact number of civilians that died as a result of the attack, however it has been estimated that the numbers were high. The bombing took place on a market day so people would have been attracted to Guernica from the surrounding areas. Once the painting was finished, it was displayed in galleries in other countries, hence gaining worldwide recognition. Guernica is a constant reminder to us all that war inflicts suffering on innocent people.