Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia
-Reina Sofia National Museum
Reina Sofia, sometimes referred to as the MoMa of Madrid, is Madrid's 2nd most popular museum and one of the world's most famous moderna art museums. The museum was inaugurated by King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia in 1990. The museum building is a former hospital that has been converted into a museum. It is connected with the ultramodern annex that contains congress halls and a large library. It is situated near Plaza de Emperador Carlos V, Atocha Station and a few blocks from Museo del Prado. A small plaza with a sculpture is situated in front of it. Reina Sofia features art from the 20th and 21st centuries. The most remarkable modern artist that you can find paintings and sculptures by are Dalí, Picasso, Dubuffet, Gris and Miró.
Picasso´s large Guernica is the most famous arwork. We missed it during our first visit since they closed it too early, so we visited the museum the next day too (it is free the last 2 hours in the evening before closing time) and discovered many other paintings as well. The opening hours are a bit messed up, some exhibitions close earlier then the others and sometimes earlier then the scheme says. The staff is friendly, but they are not good at speaking English, a bit strange at a world famous museum.
The architecture:
The exterior. When the old hospital building was converted into a museum in 1990, glass elevator schaft were added to the exterior.
The exterior after dark. The glass elevator schaft are illuminated.
A strange old man with long hair was staring at us while we sat down at the plaza in front of Reina Sofia after closing time in the evening. He didn't want to leave us alone,
so we escaped and ended up at a restaurant in Calle de Atocha. The sculpture in front was originally at a world exhibition.
Real Conservatorio Superior de Musica de Madrid.
The vaulted halls of Reina Sofia, a former hospital.
The modern glass and steel elevator schaft of Reina Sofia.
The courtyard of Reina Sofia.
The stairway.
Reina Sofia´s modern annex seen from the Atocha Station. The museum is the old part to the right.
The modern part of Reina Sofia, that houses the large library, a futuristic atrium and a congress hall, has a very striking design.
The cool atrium inside the modern annex, that also has a large modern sculpture.
The small plaza in front of Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia.
The art collections:
Fortunately it is allowed to take pictures inside, unlike at Prado. But when taking pictures of La Guernica, you have to keep a certain distance, otherwise
the guards will be mad at you. I tried to find the most famous paintings, but I don't know the name of the artists that made all the paintings, neither the
names of the paitings themselves. But I begin with the ones I know (please contact me if you see any errors):
Salvador Dalí:
The Endless Enigma from 1938. Probably my favourite by Dalí.
The Great Masturbator from 1929. I have a copy this Dalí painting on my wall, not knowing it was in Reina Sofia until I was there. But it was too late to see it then, so
we got back the next day. Actually never thought about what it meant until know...
Dalí's beautiful self portrait from 1923. Do you recognize him?
Imperial Monument to the Child Woman. 1934. Another great Dalí painting.
The Enigma of Hitler from 1939 by Dalí.
Sketch for theatre, 1941.
The second manifesto of surrealism.
Pablo Picasso:
La Guernica. The most famous and expensive painting in Reina Sofia. Guernica is Picasso's horrifying rendition of the brutal bombing attack upon Guernica, a small
Basque town. Picasso wanted it to be placed in Prado and not to be interpreted too much. The opposite happened...
Hall 6 were Guernica is. When taking pictures of La Guernica, you have to keep a certain distance, otherwise the guards will be mad at you.
"Dead birds" from 1912. In my opinion Picasso´s best.
All of Picasso's work are not very impressive.
The manifesto of the cubism.
Joan Miró:
Works by Joan Miró.
Other artists:
"A world" from 1929 by Ángeles Santos Torroella.
Ramón Gómez de la Serna. Window - panel from Buenos Aires.
A small exhibition about propaganda art (Nazi and communism).
Some Christian paintings.
Jean Dubuffet: Dialogue with birds.
Sculptures:
The replica of Man Ray´s "Indestructible Object", one of the most wellknown objects of Reina Sofia: As the pendulum turns, the eye closes and openes.
Dalí and Man Ray: Portrait of Joella. Surrealistic face.
A model of the Spanish pavilion at the international exhibition in Paris 1937.
The sculpture in front is the same as in front of Reina Sofia. Many other sculptures
included in this exhibition are now inside Reina Sofia.
This ice bear sculpture was inside the exhibition hall...
...and so was this one.
Sculptures, unknown artists:
'
Manuel Rivéra: Spatial structure from 1958.
A model of a golden skyscraper, that I don't know of.