Reina Sofía Museum

Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía

Spain’s national museum of modern and contemporary art. It is anchored by Picasso’s “Guernica” and has rich collections of Dalí and Miró, housed in a converted 18th-century hospital.

The Reina Sofía Museum opened in 1992 in the former Hospital General de San Carlos, an 18th-century building designed by Sabatini. The two glass elevator towers added to the exterior are landmarks, and in 2005 Jean Nouvel added a red extension. The collection focuses on Spanish art from the 20th century to the present. Its centerpiece is Picasso’s anti-war masterpiece “Guernica,” which he painted in 1937 for the Spanish Pavilion at the Paris World Exposition. It is displayed in Room 206, surrounded by its preparatory sketches and photographs by Dora Maar documenting the creative process. It is the center of the museum’s crowds, and photography is not allowed. The museum also has Dalí’s “The Great Masturbator” and “Girl at a Window,” works by Miró, Juan Gris, Solana and early Picasso, and pieces about the Spanish Civil War, postwar avant-garde art, and sculptors such as Tàpies and Chillida. The top floor offers a view over Atocha train station. Tickets cost about 12 euros. Free admission hours are crowded, so buy tickets on museoreinasofia.es and enter directly. The museum closes on Tuesdays, while the Prado opens on Mondays, so you can plan your visits accordingly. Estación del Arte station on metro line L1 is right outside, and Atocha station is a 5-minute walk away. The Crystal Palace and the Velázquez Palace in Retiro Park are its branches and are free. The nearby Lavapiés neighborhood, known for its multicultural street art and Indian restaurants, is worth a stop on the way.

Reina Sofía Museum

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