Visitors to Spain are welcomed with an array of things to do and see and part of these things are museums that house unique historical treasures. Spain has many museums and as a visitor looking for the best experience, you might want to only visit the best. In that case you might have to conduct some research to understand the rankings of different museums and to know beforehand what you will learn while in the select museums.
However, this is a lot of work and as D. Scott Carruthers, an expert travel destinations reviewer and enthusiast, offers advice, it is good to get information from experts who have previously visited most of these museums. Therefore, he shares some of the best that you should consider visiting while in Spain.
Museo del Prado
Located in central Madrid, the Museo del Prado museum is an art museum in Spain that also serves as the main national museum of that category in Spain. It houses European art that dates back as early as the 12th century and up to the 20th century. This is where you will find the best Spanish art of all time and since its launch in 1819, the museum remains the most visited in Spain. Some of the collections you will find include 8,200 drawings, 1,000 sculptures, 4,800 prints, and 7,600 paintings, which are in addition to a huge collection of other historic documents and works of art.
Reina Sofía Museum
The Reina Sofía Museum, officially inaugurated in 1992, houses 20th century art. Located in Madrid, its main focus is Spanish art highlighting excellent collections of the greatest artists of Spain, Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso. The most popular masterpiece stored in the museum is Guernica, which was done by Picasso. There are also works by international artists like Georges Braque, Donald Judd, Wolf Vostell, Diego Rivera, Rene Magritte, Paul Klee, and Pierre Bonnard, to mention a few. It has galleries that preserve both local and international collections, and this makes the Reina Sofía Museum one of the largest museums in the category of modern art across the world.
Museu Picasso
Another top museum in Spain that you should consider is the Reina Sofía, which is located in Catalonia. It holds among the most extensive collections done by popular Spanish artist, Pablo Picasso. It has over 4,000 pieces exhibited along with permanent collections. Opened in1963, the museum would become the first exclusively dedicated to holding Picasso’s work and also the only that was build during his lifetime. Due to its stature, it has since been listed by the Government of Catalonia as a national museum.
Some of the highlights of collections stored in the museum include Picasso’s first main piece of art, The First Communion, completed in 1896. These pieces help to reveal the relationship Picasso had with Barcelona, something that influenced his youth and proceeded to shape his life until his last day. Therein also lays interesting history that will help you appreciate the power of art apart from getting carried away by the creativity presented through the different pieces of art on display.
About the Author
D Scott Carruthers has been a traveler all his life. He also loves photography while he travels. You can find more of his content at carrutherstravel.com.