Standing almost opposite the Prado Museum and very near the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, this museum, which architect Rafael Moneo was commissioned to design, was the missing cornerstone that finally sealed the triangle of art. With the presence of the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, the most important private collection in the world before it was acquired by the Spanish state in June 1993 for 350 million dollars, few cities can match Madrid?s appeal for art lovers.

One of the key characteristics of the Thyssen-Bonemisza Museum is that it complements the Prado?s collection of old paintings and the modern art housed at the Reina Sofía Museum, featuring movements and styles such as the Italian and Dutch primitives, German Renaissance art, 17th century Dutch painting, Impressionism, German Expressionism, Russian Constructivism, Geometric Abstraction and Pop Art. And, setting it apart, its singular display of 19th century North American painting, practically unknown in Europe, which occupies two halls of the museum.

The museum contains close to 1000 paintings, including 220 works of art from the Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection that were added in 2004, taking you on a journey through the history of European painting from the thirteenth century right up to the late twentieth century. The paintings are displayed chronologically and by style, allowing visitors to follow the most important artistic movements of western painting, from Italian Primitive paintings to the late Surrealist period and the development of Pop art in the 1960s, together with the endurance of the figurative tradition in modern art.

The museum exhibits its collections in chronological order starting at the Renaissance and ending with the 20th century.

On the second floor one can visit exhibitions about the Renaissance and Classicism, the Italian Quattrocento, examples of Italian, German and Dutch painters from the 16th century such as Jan Van Eyck, Albrecht Dürer and Hans Holbein; and finally a gallery dedicated to Titian, Tintoretto, Bassano, El Greco, Bernini and Caravaggio, amongst others.

On the first floor we can visit a collection of Dutch paintings, from Frans Hals, of the 17th century, to Max Belmann of the 20th century; with samples of Realism, Rococo, Neoclassicism, Romanticism and Impressionism.

The ground floor gathers 20th century works, from Cubism and early avant-gardes to Pop Art. We must highlight some contemporary masterpieces by Picasso, Piet Mondrian, Marc Chagall, Edward Hopper, etc...

Once you finish your visit we earnestly recommend you to rest your eyes at the nearby Botanical Garden or at the magnificent Buen Retiro Park, where one can rest and have a bite at one of its many kiosks. Or maybe you would prefer to try some tapas at the Taberna de Dolores or at the Cerveceria Cervantes in Plaza de Jesús numbers 4 and 7 respectively.


See all the events of the Museo Thyssen: click here

ADDITIONA INFORMATION

Address: Paseo del Prado 8
City: MADRID
C.P: 28014
Area: RETIRO
Tlf: + 34 91 369 01 51
Web: http://www.museothyssen.org/
Email: inform@museothyssen.org

Opening Hours
Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 am to 7 pm. Closed on Mondays. The ticket office closed at 6.30 pm.
Entrance tickets may be booked in advance at the ticket office
Visitors should leave the galleries five minutes before closing

Admission
Adults: 6.00 euros
Reduced price: 4.00 Senior citizens and students with identification.
Free Admission: Accompanied children under 12
Information Service
Information telephone: (+34) 913 690 151
Office Telephone: (+34) 914 203 944
Group visits are on Tuesdays to Fridays from 10.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. and on Sundays from 3.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m. Reservations must be made beforehand through the Information telephone.

Transport to get there:
Tube: Banco de España. www.metromadrid.es
Buses: 1, 2, 5, 9, 10, 14, 15, 20, 27, 34, 37, 45, 51, 52, 53, 74, 146 y 150. www.emtmadrid.es
Railway: Estación de Atocha y Recoletos. www.renfe.es
How to get there: see map

Facilities for people with disabilities
Special elevators, restrooms and telephone available. Wheelchairs are available on request from the cloakroom.

Texts: Elías Zapata