logoGoya Tres de Mayo

Best museums and art galleries in Spain

Discover Spain's rich artistic heritage


     
About-Spain.net - the alternative guide to Spain
En français: les meilleurs musées d'Espagne
El Greco - Burial of the Count of Orgaz
El Greco - detail from the Burial of the Count of Orgaz, Santo Tomé church, Toledo
    Spain was once the most powerful and richest nation in Europe, and is also the cradle of one of the world's great cultures. In bygone centuries, the great men and great families of Spain - like those in other parts of Europe - amassed considerable fortunes, and spent some of their money commissioning or acquiring works of art. The Catholic church in Spain was also a great patron of the arts. Today, while some of the treasures acquired or commissioned in past times remain in private hands or in churches, sometimes inaccessible to visitors, most of the major works of art acquired from the time of the Reconquest onwards are now in public collections or collections on view to the public.
    In addition, Spain - since the start of the twentieth century - has given the world some of its most emblematic and original artists - notably Picasso, Salvador Dali and Joan Miro, many of whose works can be admired in museums and galleries in different parts of Spain.
    As in most countries, the main art galleries in Spain are located in big cities, notably Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao: but there are other interesting galleries outside of these locations. The following list offers a selection of the best and most interesting museums and art galleries in Spain.   
Best rates on hotels in Spanish cities
   

Twelve most impressive and significant museums and art galleries in Spain.

  • Velazquez - Surrender of Breda - Prado
    Velazquez - The Surrender of Breda  -  Prado museum, Madrid
    The Prado (Madrid) : Spain's national museum, and one of the best in Europe.Remarkable collection of European painting including iconic works by the Flemish artists Breughel the elder and Hieronymus Bosch as well as works by all major Spanish old masters.
  • Museo Reina Sofía, Queen Sofia Museum (Madrid) -  The Spanish museum of 20th century art, particularly visited on account of its great Picasso and Dali collections. Highlight of the museum is Picasso's monumental and iconic Guernica - a statement on the horrors of war, in this case the Spanish Civil War.
  • Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. (Madrid) .  Opened in 1992 this museum is based on what was formerly the world's second largest collection of old masters in private hands. It contains a rich collection of works from the European Renaissance, and fom the French impressionists and German Expressionists, but plenty more too. Highlights include works by Van Eyck, Holbein, Titian, Rembrandt, Monet, van Gogh.
  • NEW 2023  - Museum of Royal Collections (Madrid) - Opened in 2023, this mueum brings together major works of art from Royal Collections across Spain. Paintings by Velasquez, Titian, El Greco and other masters hang alongside sculptures and other artefacts acquired since the Renaissance
Hotels in Spain

Booking.com
offers best online rates for hotels and apartments. Check out the following areas :

 Madrid
 Toledo
 Sevilla
 Barcelona
 Bilbao
 Caceres
 Other areas
About-Spain.net is partnered with Europe's leading hotel booking portal, Booking.com, to bring you the best online prices
  • Royal monastery of El Escorial (near Madrid). The monastery houses a world-class collection, including major works by Hieronymus Bosch, Titian, Dürer, Velasquez, El Greco and Rogier van der Weyden.
  • Museo-Hospital de Santa Cruz (Toledo, Castilla la Mancha) : A fine collection of classic Spanish art, including many works by Toledo's most famous painter El Greco. More of El Greco's paintings are in the El Greco museum and the church of Santo Tomé, which houses the celebrated Burial of the Count of Orgaz (photo top of page - extract)
  • Picasso Museum (Barcelona, Catalonia) . With more than 3,500 works by Picasso, this museum is the world's greatest collection of the artist's work, and includes some of his most famous paintings, in particular from his early years - including the "Blue period" - between 1890 and 1917. 
  • National Art Museum of Catalonia (Barcelona) - Catalonia's national gallery, with a representative collection of  Spanish art as well as works from other parts of Europe, and of course works by the major artists of Catalonia including Picasso and Salvador Dali.
  • Joan Miro Foundation (Barcelona) -  Almost 400 paintings and sculptures,plus textiles and ceramics by one of Spain's most remarkable painters. The museum also contains almost complete collection of Miro's graphic works and thousands of drawings, plus a small collection of works by contemporaries such as  Max Ernst,  Fernand Léger, André Masson and Henry Moore.
  • Ribera - San Jeronimo
    José de Ribera - San Jeronimo, detail. Thyssen Bornemisza Museum Madrid
    Guggenheim museum (Bilbao, Basque country) - One of the world's great contemporary art museums, opened in 1997. The museum is particular strong on special exhibitions of work by contemporary artists and plastic artists. The building itself, designed by Frank Gehry, is considered to be one of the iconic structures of late 20th century architecture.
  • Fine Arts Museum / Museo de Bellas Artes (Sevilla - Andalucia) - A medium-sized rounded collection of essentially Spanish art, including works by the major Spanish painters - Murillo, Zurbaran, Velazquez, El Greco, Ribera, Valdés Leal, Goya.
  • Royal Monastery of Guadalupe (Extremadura) - One of Spain's top pilgrimage sites, the Monastery - a UNESCO world heritage site - contains a collection of paintings and artefacts, including works by Goya and El Greco.

Spain has plenty more art galleries and museums, many of them quite small and only listed in local tourist brochures. Some of these are included on the About-Spain.net regional pages. One that also deserves a mention here is the Salvador Dali museum at Figueres, Catalonia, between Barcelona and the French border.

More information:  
Spain's museums and art galleries :  list from the Spanish information site  over 150 museums and galleries of all sorts, but the list is by no means complete.
Other types of museum:  Spanish railway museums

Continue to...  
  Moorish Spain   -   Roman Spain  -  Castles in Spain
Other pages of interest :   Travel in Spain  -  Food and eating in Spain
Related: Best art galleries in France

About-Spain.net   Accueil -    Tourisme  -  Voyager  -  Contact



Photo top of Page:  Goya - El tres de Mayo, lthe horrors of war : Madrid,  Prado.

Guggenheim museum - Bilbao
Guggenheim museum, Bilbao

El Greco - Crucifixion
El Greco - the Crucifixion - Madrid, Prado

Dali Museum, Figueres
The Dali Museum, Figueres

Text   copyright © About-Spain.net 2012 - 2023,


Other countries

More places to stay
 in Spain:




About-Spain.net respecte la vie oprivée et ne collecte aucune donnée personnelle. Nos cookies servent seulement à recueillir des statistiques visiteurs anonymes et à permettre des fonctions essentielles des pages. Pour supprimer ce message cliquer sur
sinon cliquer pour gérér vos cookies