Madrid’s top 5 art galleries

Madrid is home to some of Europe’s most famous, inspiring and influential works from Goya, Picasso and Caravaggio to name a few. An art melting pot with an exhibition on every corner, here are five must-see galleries in the Spanish capital.

1. Museo del Prado

This purpose-built museum is vast and the first of Madrid’s triad of art titans. Packed to the rafters with some of the most notable works of art in the world, Prado boasts the achingly romantic Les Tres Gracias by Rubens, the clever and creepy Las Meninas by Velázquez, Goya’s sensual La Maja Vestida & La Maja Desnuda and El Greco’s twisted renaissance in Adoration of The Shepherds.

2. Centro de Arte Reina Sofia

The eerie atmosphere of a converted asylum is the perfect setting for Reina Sofia’s biggest draw. It’s home to the magnificently haunting Guernica by Picasso – the massive monochrome canvas overwhelms with its pained, mangled, cubist characters enduring the horrors of the Spanish Civil War.

Also on display are Goya’s Disasters of War. The series of prints are overshadowed by the other expansive and remarkable works in Goya’s canon. However, these harrowing depictions of Spain’s Peninsula War with Napoleon have inspired artists like the Chapman Brothers and opened the gates for a more visceral and shocking style of art.

There’s more to the Reina Sofia than representations of Spain’s bloody history told by artists who witnessed it. Set over several levels, contemporary works from local artists sit side-by-side with surrealists like Dali and Miro.

3. Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza

This gallery completes Madrid’s golden triangle of enviable art collections. Here, you can immerse yourself in art styles from across the centuries, including Henry VIII’s portrait painter of choice Holbein, Baroque trailblazer Caravaggio, Van Gogh’s impressionist landscapes and the king of abstract, Jackson Pollock.

If this isn’t enough to whet your appetite, works from Canaletto, Renoir, Constable and Rembrandt also grace the walls of this awe-inspiring gallery.

4. Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando

Slap-bang in the middle of Madrid’s bustling metropolis is a cultural oasis where Dali and Picasso once studied.

This gorgeous art-deco gallery is dwarfed by the aforementioned tourist-trail stalwarts. Not only does it boast an interesting collection of modern art, photography and social exhibits, but also has the best views of Madrid’s skyline.

Bellas Artes rooftop bar is the perfect place to take the weight off your feet after a busy day taking in Madrid’s vast array of paintings, sculptures and installations.

5. Museo del Romanticismo

If you’re a lover of Byron and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, you’ll love the Museum of Romanticism. Set in an opulent 18th Century house, it features the work of writer Mariano Jose de Larra and other prolific figures from Spain’s Romantic Era.

Surrounded by rich-coloured fabrics, ornate furniture and a sizable amount of oil paintings adorning every wall, you’ll be forgiven for thinking you’ve walked onto the set of a BBC period drama.