Madrid is not only the political and economic capitol of Spain, but it is also a city of vibrant cultural life: the downtown is spotted with numerous cultural centres, museums, theatres and musical venues.
A weekend-long (or better to say -short) trip in the town already offers a lot of possibilities to absorb classic and contemporary, Spanish and international culture. What’s more, there is a certain area, where we can find several of these institution within a circle of 500 m radius. Fun fact: the metro station at the center of this circle is called Estación del Arte - the Station of Arts. Here is a quick guide to some of the most interesting places:
- Museo Nacional del Prado
…or just El Prado - is the main art gallery of the National Museum. This 200 years old institution is considered to accommodate one of the best collections of classic fine art on the world. Of course its collection is the strongest on Spanish and Dutch (once under Spanish rule) fine art with masters like Goya, El Greco and Velázquez or Hieronymus Bosch, Dürer and Rembrandt. The building is under a scaffolding and a building net right now, but the large, magnified pieces of art on the net just enhance and transcend the building’s volume. Tip: on Sunday afternoons, after 17:00 (and until the closure at 19:00) the museum entry is free. Tip no.2: If we zoom on Prado on Google Maps it will show the floorplan of each floor with the art subjects of the galleries, making the navigation within the museum super easy.
- Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía
For a more modern and contemporary art we don’t need to walk far, the Reina Sofía Arts Centre is just a 10 minutes / 700 m walk away. The huge spaces of the old building house a great collection of Spanish and international modernism and well-curated, sometimes striking contemporary works. The best spots outside the exhibition spaces are the lush courtyard of the Sabatini building and the rooftop terraces of the new annex (by French architect Jean Nouvel) with superb views over the rooftops of the city. Tip: the queue is often very long from the square in front of the main building (Calle de Santa Isabel), but the (back)entrance from the covered plaza of the new annex is usually less crowded
Once visited Reina Sofía, we shall not forget to visit also the two small pavilions in the nearby El Retiro Park (just behind El Prado) for their exhibitions also curated by the centre.
- Palacio de Cristal and Palacio de Velázquez
are very close to each other in the center of the park, surrounded by shady groves and picturesque lakes. The fully glazed Cristal palace offers an amazing blend of contemporary art - usually sculptures and installations - with view of the neighbouring nature. Whereas the other pavilion is more often hosts exhibitions of painters. If someone is not amazed by the beautiful architecture of these pavilions, and their fantastic setting in the park - the well curated exhibitions might do the job. It is a great experience to transfer between the natural environment of the park and realm of the arts, forth and back. …and both places are free to enter.
- Caixa Forum
After the short detour in the park, back to the city, somewhere halfway between Prado and Reina Sofía a building with extraordinary architecture stands out from the city blocks. The building of Caixa Forum (named after the sponsoring bank) itself is an iconic landmark of stunning contemporary architecture from swiss architects Herzog & deMeuron. As a cultural center it houses 2 or 3 temporary exhibitions on its upper floors. It’s worth a visit even for its unique architecture: its facades seem to weightlessly hover over the street or the shiny entry hall is clad with polished metal sheets.
- Medialab
Our final destination is just opposite to Caixa Forum, housed in a former industrial building. The Medialab is not a museum, but a vivid communal cultural center. The staff here is very helpful and the whole institution is very open - so we can have a glimpse of the various activities going on. The newly made interior architecture is nicely fitted into the old concrete structures of the halls, full of surprising solutions. Final tip for a well deserved rest: the courtyard café has an excellent setting and superb coffee.
Which one is your favourite of these places from the arts district of Madrid?
