Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía
Spain's national museum of twentieth-century art, home to Picasso's Guernica.
The Reina Sofía occupies the former General Hospital of Madrid, a severe eighteenth-century block begun by José de Hermosilla and continued by Francesco Sabatini under Charles III. The hospital closed in 1965 and the building stood empty until it was listed and converted into an arts centre, opening as the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in 1992. Three glass and steel lift towers by Ian Ritchie were added to the courtyard façade, giving the austere building a recognisable modern face.
The collection covers Spanish and international art from the late nineteenth century onwards, with major holdings of Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró and Juan Gris alongside post-war and contemporary work. Picasso's Guernica, transferred from the Prado's annexe in 1992, is shown with related studies and photographs. In 2005 Jean Nouvel's extension added temporary exhibition galleries, an auditorium and a library around a courtyard covered by a red cantilevered roof. The museum also runs two galleries in the Retiro park.
Highlights
- Picasso's Guernica, displayed with preparatory studies and period photographs
- Eighteenth-century hospital by Sabatini with glass lift towers by Ian Ritchie
- Jean Nouvel extension of 2005 with its red cantilevered roof
- Surrealist holdings including works by Dalí, Miró and Óscar Domínguez
