National Museum, Queen Sofia Art Center.
The former hospital which was converted
into a museum for some of the most important works of the 20th century
was inaugurated in 1986 by Queen Sofia. The museum's permanent collection
is located on the third floor. The museum's collection demonstrates the
evolution of Spanish art from the end of the 19th century up to contemporary
avant-garde, and of course, the surrealist movement.
 Don't
miss the superb paintings by Salvador Dali " The Great Masturbator",
"Figure at a Window" but also paintings by Miro, Magritte, Max
Ernst, and Klein.
The fifth floor is devoted to works from the beginning of the abstract
movement and Spanish avant-garde.
This floor shows how the different Spanish movements fit in to the history
of European painting and demonstrates how native painters were often in
advance over their European contemporaries.
The most famous work in the museum is, of course, the Picasso painting
Guernica, painted in 1937, the ultimate expression of human barbarism
and stupidity. The bombing of the town of Guernica, in Basque country
caused 2000 deaths.
Picasso refused to return the painting to the Spanish government until
democracy was restored. |
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