Madrid is home to three of Europe’s most important art museums – the Prado, the Reina Sofía and the Thyssen-Bornemisza – all happily located within strolling distance of each other (although only the most fanatical art buff would consider visiting all three in a single day). The Prado’s strength is its magnificent collection of Spanish masterpieces from the 12th to the 19th centuries, including works by Velázquez, Zurbarán and Goya. The luminous Reina Sofía displays works spanning the last century, including Picasso’s celebrated Guernica. The Thyssen-Bornemisza perfectly complements both collections. It plugs the gaps left by the Prado with its vast collection of western European art spanning eight centuries and offers a dazzling selection of early 20th-century masters from Braque to Kandinsky to whet your appetite for the Reina Sofía. There’s a scattering of smaller museums and curiosities a stroll away from the Big Three (known as the Triángulo del Arte), like the Fábrica Real de Tapices, where the old methods of creating tapestry have barely changed in the last few hundred years, or the Cibeles Fountain, where Real Madrid fans come to celebrate their victories. SightsMuseo del Prado Paseo del Prado s/n, T 91 330 28 00, http://www.museoprado.mcu.es Tue-Sat 0900-1900, Sun 0900-1400. €3/1.50 concessions, free Sat afternoon. Metro Banco de España. The Prado museum houses one of the world’s greatest art collections – a dazzling display of European art spanning seven centuries. When it opened in 1819, it was one of the very first public art museums, infused with the spirit of the Enlightenment, and shored up by royal whim (Queen Isabel of Braganza had been impressed with the Louvre and wanted one for Spain). The collection is enormous; today, it holds several thousand works of art and has long outgrown Juan de Villanueva’s severely elegant neoclassical building. A major expansion is scheduled for completion in 2005. The Casón del Buen Retiro, which holds the museum’s collection of 19th-century art, is currently closed for reconstruction. Carlos I (Charles V) began the royal collection, his son Felipe II expanded it, but it was Felipe IV who turned it into the most important art collection of his age. It still reflects the idiosyncratic tastes of the kings and queens who formed it, and is uneven in parts – some major Spanish artists like Ribera or Murillo are barely featured, for example. The sheer scale can make it daunting, and it might be worth picking out some highlights or favourite painters. There’s little in the way of nightlife or restaurants in the rather staid area around the Prado – but the tapas bars and pavement cafés of Plaza Santa Ana are just a short walk way along C Huertas. Ground floorThe collection of medieval art is thin but includes some gilded retablos, and the haunting murals from the Hermitage of Santa Cruz de Maderuelo (room 51c). Among the works from 15th-16th-century Flanders are Rogier van der Weyden’s moving masterpiece, the Descent from the Cross (room 58), some sharply observed portraits by court painter Antonio Muro (originally from Utrecht), and the crowd-pleasing, nightmarish visions of Breughel the Elder (including The Triumph of Death in room 56a) and Heironymous Bosch (like The Garden of Earthly Delights in room 58). There isn’t much from the Italian Renaissance, but what there is is exquisite: Fra Angelico’s Annunciation, Raphael’s Fall on the Road to Calvary, and a series of beautiful panels by Sandro Botticelli depicting a story from the Decameron. Albrecht Dürer’s self-portrait in room 49 is the highlight of the collection of 15th-16th-century German art, but don’t miss the luminous panels depicting Adam and Eve. El Greco’s paintings, including Annunciation, with their dazzling colours and surging, elongated forms, are in their own room, 61a; fans should visit Toledo. Tiziano Titian, a favourite with Carlos I (Charles V) and Felipe II, is well represented (room 61b), along with his fellow Venetian painters, Paolo Veronese and Jacopo Robusti Tintoretto. First floorThe excellent collection of French, Dutch and Italian paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries (including Artemisia by Rembrandt in room 7) may be the envy of art museums around the world, but they are still completely overshadowed by the Prado’s greatest treasure, its huge collection of works by Diego Velázquez (1599-1660), court painter to Felipe IV, in room 12. The most famous paintings are gathered under the glass dome at the very centre of the building, including Las Meninas, the sublime portrait of the Infanta Margarita and her maids-in-waiting, and an acutely observed portrait of Felipe IV himself. The celebrated painting of The Surrender of Breda in room 16 and the equestrian portraits painted for the Salón de los Reinos (in the present Museo del Ejército) may one day be returned to their original setting. There are some stark, brilliantly lit paintings by Zurbarán such as Santa Isabel de Portugal in room 18a; a handful of fluffy saints by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo; and some dark, intense depictions of martyrs by José de Ribera like El Martirio de San Felipe in room 26. Rubens is well represented, because the Flemish painter was in the service of the Habsburg court and visited Madrid several times; check out The Three Graces in room 9. Finally, there are a series of rooms devoted to Francisco Goya y Lucientes (1746- 1828), court painter to Carlos IV, with his painting El Tres de Mayo in room 39. On this floor you’ll find the grim works painted after the anti-French uprisings of 1808, and the horrifying Pinturas Negras (Black Paintings): dark, hallucinatory pieces which were painted after the strange illness which left him deaf. Second floorA whole wing is devoted to Goya. Before war and sickness plunged Goya into depression, his works were characterized by joyful scenes and vivid colours. The early tapestry cartoons sparkle with life, but Goya’s most famous works are the mysterious The Nude Maja and The Clothed Maja in room 89a, daringly modelled, some say, on Goya’s beautiful, and unconventional patron, the Duchess of Alba. BasementThe basement of the Prado contains the Dauphin’s Treasure, a dazzling collection of jewelled Renaissance and baroque tableware and glassware, which originally belonged to Louis de Bourbon, son of Louis XIV, who gave the collection its name. It’s one of the most remarkable collections of its kind in the world; a single goblet is encrusted with 23 emeralds, plus plenty of cameos and cornelians. Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía C Santa Isabel 52, T 91 467 50 62, http://www.reinasofia.mcu.es Mon, Wed-Sat 1000-2100, Sun 1000-1430. e3.01/1.50 concessions, free Sat afternoon and Sun. Free guided visits Mon, Wed at 1700, Sat at 1100. Audioguides too. Metro Atocha. This museum is housed in a former hospital, which has been beautifully remodelled to hold the nation’s collection of 20th-century art. It’s a graceful, light-filled building set around a quiet, interior courtyard, with a pair of panoramic glass lifts which are almost an attraction in themselves. The second and fourth floors are devoted to the permanent exhibition and the first and third floors are used for temporary exhibitions which are usually excellent. Second floorThis floor traces the development of Spanish art from the turn of the 20th century to the conclusion of the Civil War in 1939. José Solana’s The Gathering at the Café del Pombo in room 2 reflects the intensity of intellectual life in Madrid’s cafés, but it was the Basques and the Catalans who were creating the most innovative work in painting and sculpture; Isidre Nonell’s haunting studies of gypsies in the streets of Barcelona profoundly influenced Picasso’s Blue period. At the start of the 20th century, Paris was the mecca of the art world, and Spanish artists soaked up the avant-garde art movements; Juan Gris developed his personal interpretation of Cubism (see The Singer in room 4) and Pau Gargallo’s whiplash, wrought- iron sculptures treated space in an entirely new way. Both collaborated with Picasso, whose works are displayed in a line of galleries here. At the centre is Guernica in room 6, his vast, anguished response to the bombing of a Basque village during the Civil War. The Picasso galleries are flanked by galleries devoted to Joan Miró, who created a personal sign language in his colourful, abstract paintings; see Woman in room 15. There are some light, graceful mobile sculptures by Alexander Calder (including Constellation in room 9), and two rooms are devoted to Dalí’s surreal, melting landscapes. Finally, there’s a mixed collection of sculpture. Fourth floorSpain’s artistic and cultural life was mercilessly repressed in the first years of Franco’s dictatorship. During the 1950s, some of the most interesting work was being done by the Basque sculptor, Jorge Oteiza, whose boxy, iron pieces inspired Equipo 57, a collective committed to exploring notions of space. There is a good collection of international artists: paintings by Sir Francis Bacon (see Reclining Figure in room 24), Yves Klein’s trademark brilliant blue works, a tiny, serene sculpture by Henry Moore and slashed canvases by Lucio Fontana. Several galleries are devoted to the Catalan artist Antoni Tàpies, whose unsettling ‘material paintings’ are created from layers of ‘found’ objects in room 35 (see his Seven Chairs). Antonio López’s vast sculpture Man and Woman in room 31 is set alongside some haunting landscapes of Madrid. The Spanish collective Equipo Crónico attacked mass culture imported from the US in their pop art-style pieces from the late 1960s and 1970s; the most recent works include a group of severely abstract sculptures from Eduardo Chillida, like The Spirit of the Birds in room 41. Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza Paseo del Prado 8, T 91 369 01 51, http://www.museothyssen.org Tue-Sun 1000-1900. e4.81/2.40 concessions. Metro Banco de España. When the Spanish state bought the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection in 1993, it proved a neat complement to the Prado and Reina Sofía collections. It fleshes out the collections of medieval Flemish and Italian art held at the Prado, and adds an international dimension to the 20th-century art at the Reina Sofía. Unlike the other two corners of the Triángulo del Arte, the Thyssen works from the bottom down; head to the second floor for the earliest art. Second floorThe Thyssen’s collection of medieval art is especially strong. It opens with the luminous works of the Italian Primitives, followed by some glittering, highly decorative paintings in the International Gothic style which swept across Europe in the early 15th century. Van der Weyden’s Madonna and Child Enthroned and Van Eyck’s Annunciation Diptych are in room 3 and as well as Campen are among the early Dutch and Flemish masters. There are also some beautiful Renaissance portraits, including Holbein’s celebrated portrait of Henry VIII and Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni by Ghirlandaio in room 5. The bold energy of the Venetian colourists (the Thyssen is particularly strong on Venetian art) is echoed in El Greco’s energetic works (see his Annunciation, room 11) and there’s a gaudy selection of sentimental 17th-century baroque art from England, Flanders and Italy. Pieces by Rubens include The Toilet of Venus hung beside Jan Breughel’s fabulous Garden of Eden, room 19, and Bruggen’s compelling depiction of Esau Selling his Birthright. First floorThe Thyssen’s extensive collection of Dutch genre painting reveals how architecture, everyday objects and landscapes become increasingly important and would pave the way for the Golden Age of Dutch art a few decades later; one highlight is Family Group by Frans Hals in room 22. Two galleries are devoted to 19th-century North American art including some beautiful light-drenched pieces by John Singer Sargent. There are a couple of late Goyas, some wistful, bucolic scenes by Corot, and a small collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist works including Degas’ delightful Swaying Dancer, a couple of swirling Van Gogh’s and Cézanne’s richly textured Portrait of a Farmer in room 33. A gallery is devoted to the dazzling colours of the Fauvists. The undoubted highlight of this floor is the magnificent Expressionist collection, with works by Shiele, Munch, Kandinsky, Macke, Otto Dix and Max Beckmann (including Quappi in a Pink Sweater, room 39). Ground floorThe blazing colours and wheeling forms of the experimental artists of the early 20th century seem to leap from the walls: Picasso’s splintered Man with a Clarinet and his Harlequin with a Mirror in room 45, Léger’s weaving The Staircase (second state) in room 41, or Mondrian’s obsessively geometric New York City, New York in room 43. These galleries are a roll-call of the biggest names in 20th-century art: Picasso, Miró, Kandinsky, Pollock (Brown and Silver I is in room 46), Rothko (including Green on Maroon, also in room 46) and Dalí are just some of the artists featured. Lichten- stein’s knowing cartoonish Woman in a Bath in room 48, and a portrait by Sir Francis Bacon are among the most recent works. Paseo del Prado This elegant, boulevard created in the 19th century was once the most popular place for fashionable people to take their evening paseo. Nowadays, its leafy calm is entirely broken by the whizzing traffic which roars on either side. At one end is the Plaza de Cibeles, a busy roundabout with flood-lit fountains and an enormous statue of the goddess Cibeles in her chariot. Real Madrid fans launch themselves at Cibeles to celebrate victories – she lost a hand in 1994 which had to be stuck back on with a special resin, and now she gets boarded up when danger looms. Just a few hundred metres away, at the other end, Neptune and his sea horses rear out of another fountain stuck in the middle of the Atocha roundabout. Neptune gets the Atlético fans. Real Jardín Botánico Plaza de Murillo 2, T 91 420 30 17. 1000-sunset. e1.50/0.70 concessions, free to under 10s and senior citizens. Metro Atocha. These languid gardens, with their plentiful fountains and birdsong, are a cool oasis in the deadening heat of summer. The first Royal Botanical Gardens were begun to collect plants and herbs with medicinal properties. They were given this elegant new home in the 18th century and now more than 30,000 plants are on display, including the ‘madroño’ or Strawberry Tree which is now the city’s symbol. Museo del Ejército C Méndez Núñez 1, T 91 522 89 77. Tue-Sun 1000-1400. e0.60, free on Sat. Closed Aug. Metro Banco de España. Housed in the main surviving building of the Royal Palace of the Buen Retiro, the Army Museum displays a vast collection of armour, uniforms and weaponry gathered over two centuries and dating back more than a millennium. It’s a popular weekend jaunt for Madrileño dads and their kids, who seem to find the ranks of armour, pistols, swords and muskets endlessly fascinating. Miraculously, the building has preserved one of the grandest ceremonial halls of the former palace, the dazzling Salón de los Reinos, blazing with the escutcheons of the 24 kingdoms which made up Spain in the 17th century. Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas C Montalbán 12, T 91 532 64 99. Tue-Fri 0930-1500, Sat-Sun, public holidays 1000-1400. e2.40/1.20, free to over-65s and on Sun. Metro Banco de España. This huge museum is stuffed with furniture, porcelain, tapestries and tiles from all over Spain. Highlights include a pair of winsome hansom cabs from the 17th-century, an elaborately tiled 18th-century Valencian kitchen and a delightful collection of 19th-century dolls’ houses, complete with gilded wallpaper and chandeliers. Several galleries are devoted to ceramics and porcelain, including the shimmering platters and vases typical of Manzes. Museo Naval Paseo del Prado 5, T 91 379 52 99. Tue–Sun 1030–1330. Free. ID required. Metro Banco de España The Naval Museum is housed in the brutally ugly Ministry of Defence building, but the galleries have been handsomely remodelled inside. The sections which deal with the Age of Discovery, when Spain ruled the seas and a great swathe of the known world, are surprisingly engrossing, with maps and models showing how the 15th- and 16th-century explorers staked their claims to the New World. Plaza de la Lealtad Metro Banco de España. The creamy curves of the Ritz hotel overlook the circular garden of the Plaza de la Lealtad (Loyalty Square). The obelisk and eternal flame flickering in the middle of the garden commemorate the victims of the uprising on 2 May 1808. Parque del Retiro C Alfonso XIII. Metro Banco de España or Retiro. This dreamy expanse of manicured gardens, lakes, shady woods and pavilions was once the garden of the Palacio Real del Buen Retiro. The lake, or estanque, at the centre is flanked by ranks of columns and overlooked by a ridiculous statue of Alfonso XII; it used to be the scene of royal regattas, when galleons would set sail in mock-battles performed to entertain the court. The lake has just had a lengthy clean-up, and you can hire a row-boat or sit at a lakeside café. At the southern end of the park, take a peek at the bizarre Angel Caído (Fallen Angel), one of only three monuments in the world to Satan, caught midway in his fall from Paradise. Ricardo Velázquez designed the elegant Palacio de Velázquez and Palacio de Cristal in 1882. The pavillions are now used for the Reina Sofía’s temporary art exhibitions. The first, the red-brick Palacio de Velázquez, was encrusted with colourful tiles by Daniel Zuloaga, and the second, a feather-light, ethereal glass palace, is beautifully reflected in a little lake with a shooting fountain at its centre. Juan de Villanueva’s charming neoclassical Observatorio Astronómico Nacional sits on a small hill overlooking the Retiro. It still functions, although you need special permission to see the stars. Inside is a small museum containing a dusty collection of old telescopes, sundials and sextants. Estación Atocha Metro Atocha or Atocha RENFE. Atocha train station was massively expanded a decade ago when the high-speed AVE trains to Seville were inaugurated for Expo 1992. It’s now a gleaming, ultra-modern complex packed with shops and restaurants. The original 19th-century station, a graceful wrought- iron and glass frame, has been turned into a tropical garden, with lofty palm trees and terrapins; perfect for a coffee on a wintry day. Real Fábrica de Tapices C Fuentarrabía 2, T 91 434 05 50. Mon-Fri 1000-1400. Guided visits only, e2. Metro Menéndez Pelayo. The vast hangings are still threaded by hand on enormous 18th-century wooden looms at these fascinating workshops. When it’s time to move onto a new section, the tapestry is cranked up with a huge wooden pole and a team of puffing overalled workers pulling together on a rope. It takes about a week for one person to create just one metre square of the tapestry, and even longer for the more delicate work in silk that takes place in a separate room. Museo de Antropología C Alfonso XII 68, T 91 530 64 18. Tue-Sat 1000-1930, Sun 1000-1400. e2.40. Just beyond Estación Atocha Metro Atocha. The dusty Anthropology Museum contains a ragbag of artefacts gathered from around the world, particularly from former Spanish possessions like the Philippines. One room contains the bizarre corpse of an extremely tall man, 2.35 m, who sold his body to science before his death. There’s also the desiccated head of a decapitated Chinese pirate and some gruesome cabinets of dusty bones.
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