The museum was built in 1990 by English architect Ian Ritchie, who designed the two glass lifts that rejuvenate the museum's façade. This contemporary art museum is located in Madrid's former General Hospital, designed by architect Francisco Sabatini, along the Paseo del Arte (Art Promenade), closing the famous triangle with the Prado Museum and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. It has become one of the city's most important sites for contemporary art. The museum has undergone several restructurings. In 2005, the famous architect Jean Nouvel drew up plans to extend the Reina Sofía National Art Centre Museum, giving it a new lease of life.
The Reina Sofia National Art Museum houses a permanent collection of modern Spanish art in a vast building that conceals an incredible interior courtyard. As well as Picasso's famous masterpiece Guernica, you can also admire paintings by Miró, Dalí, Tàpies and Solana. The museum organises numerous temporary exhibitions of painting, sculpture, video, photography and film. The Reina Sofia National Art Museum is a must-see during your stay in Madrid!
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Easy access to Madrid from FranceThe history of the Reina Sofia National Art Museum
Why visit the Reina Sofia National Art Museum?
The museum's architecture alone is reason enough to visit: it is a fine example of the desire to combine past and present in the same place. The museum also organises numerous temporary exhibitions of painting, sculpture, video, photography and film. The museum also has an open-air terrace where you can enjoy the fine Madrid weather all year round. After admiring Picasso's Guernica and the museum's other masterpieces, what better way to relax and make memories than over a drink with friends. The music and atmosphere are relaxing, away from the noise of the city.
The three glass and metal buildings, combining red and black, topped by a vast openwork roof, include a library, an auditorium, a restaurant and temporary exhibition rooms. According to Jean Nouvel, they are "as open an extension of the museum to the city as possible", and form a striking contrast with the main building, a massive, closed former hospital that was converted into a museum in the 1980s.
Practical information
📍 Location: C. de Sta. Isabel, 52, 28012 Madrid, Spain
👛 Price: €12 for one visit and €18 for 2 visits
⏰Opening times: The museum is open on weekdays from 10am to 9pm, except on Tuesdays when it is closed. On Sundays, it is open from 10.00 am to 2.30 pm.
🚌 How to get there: The Prado Museum is located in Madrid, right in the heart of the city centre, and is accessible by metro, with line 1, with Atocha station, and line 3, with Lavapiés station. There are also a number of bus routes to the museum.
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