About the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía
The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, opened as a museum in 1992, is Spain’s leading institution for modern and contemporary art. Located in Madrid, it is housed in a former 18th-century hospital that has been renovated and expanded with contemporary architecture. Its collection focuses mainly on 20th-century Spanish art, a period marked by profound social, political, and artistic transformations, with special attention to the avant-garde movements and major European artistic trends.
What to See During the Visit
With the audioguide, you can explore at your own pace one of the most important collections of modern art in Europe. The museum’s most iconic work is “Guernica” by Pablo Picasso, a powerful depiction of the horrors of the Spanish Civil War. Also featured are key works by Salvador Dalí, known for his dreamlike surrealism, and Joan Miró, with his symbolic and abstract visual language. The visit is completed with pieces from the historical avant-garde, Cubism, Surrealism, and contemporary art, illustrating the evolution of 20th-century art.
“Art is not truth, but a lie that makes us realize the truth.” — Pablo Picasso
Curiosities
- “Guernica” by Picasso is one of the most important anti-war artworks of the 20th century and a universal symbol against violence.
- The museum’s main building was originally the General Hospital of Madrid, designed in the 18th century in a neoclassical style.
- The works of Dalí, Miró, and Picasso played a key role in the radical transformation of European art toward abstraction and surrealism.