A review of two museum icons
Museo Del Prado: When in Madrid, it seems obligatory to go to the Museo del Prado, right? Not seeing it would be like going to Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower or like going to New York without visiting Barneys. So, like the good little travelers that we are, we trekked over yesterday morning.
What can I say? With all due respect to art lovers worldwide (and a bunch of dead artists) after about thirty (okay, three) seconds of seeing dark, depressing, religious, brutal images, I was ready to start drinking heavily. Hmmm. Goya was pretty cool, but you knew that already. There were a lot of naked women. And Christ images. But you probably knew that already, too. What you might not know is that the café con leche in the cafeteria is really tasty. I suppose it´s worth it just for that! Though traditional art lovers and those who love art history will most assuredly appreciate the experience.
El Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía: This was by far more on my level. The Reina Sofia (which I like to think affectionately of as the Sofia Loren) houses an outstanding collection of modern and contemporary (and predominantly Spanish) art. The building is an 18th-century hospital and is open and airy and bright. We didn´t make it past the first floor, but that´s just fine, as the oh-so famous works of Picasso, Dali, Joan Miró, Juan Gris, etc. etc. can keep one focused for hours. Most notable is Picasso´s famous Guernica, which depicts his protest to the German bombing of the Basque town, Guernica during the 1937 Spanish Civil War.
Tomorrow we´ll finish our Madrid museum tour with the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. Just FYI for those heading to Spain: if you´re planning on seeing all three, you can buy a museum pass which saves you some money.
What can I say? With all due respect to art lovers worldwide (and a bunch of dead artists) after about thirty (okay, three) seconds of seeing dark, depressing, religious, brutal images, I was ready to start drinking heavily. Hmmm. Goya was pretty cool, but you knew that already. There were a lot of naked women. And Christ images. But you probably knew that already, too. What you might not know is that the café con leche in the cafeteria is really tasty. I suppose it´s worth it just for that! Though traditional art lovers and those who love art history will most assuredly appreciate the experience.
El Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía: This was by far more on my level. The Reina Sofia (which I like to think affectionately of as the Sofia Loren) houses an outstanding collection of modern and contemporary (and predominantly Spanish) art. The building is an 18th-century hospital and is open and airy and bright. We didn´t make it past the first floor, but that´s just fine, as the oh-so famous works of Picasso, Dali, Joan Miró, Juan Gris, etc. etc. can keep one focused for hours. Most notable is Picasso´s famous Guernica, which depicts his protest to the German bombing of the Basque town, Guernica during the 1937 Spanish Civil War.
Tomorrow we´ll finish our Madrid museum tour with the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. Just FYI for those heading to Spain: if you´re planning on seeing all three, you can buy a museum pass which saves you some money.
posted by TessaJ at 5:49 PM
3 Comments:
Wow T,
I am so impressed with your travels. Didn't you *just* return from Down Under?
I am jealous!!!
Thanks for such lovely museum reviews. I look forward to reading more about your travels.
Safe Journeys!
Yes, I just returned from Oz. Since I´m taking the semester off, I´m able to focus on my travels. I´m so lucky!
The Thyssen Museum was my very favorite in all of Spain, and definitely my top 5 of all the ones I've visisted (and I'm a bit of an art nerd.) It's beautiful, and the gardens in the back, as I recall, are lovely too. Have fun!!
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