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Discover the Renowned Reina Sofía Collection

The Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid, Spain, celebrates contemporary art and artistic movements that inspired generations. The museum houses an extensive collection featuring works of international artists, such as Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. Picasso’s “Guernica” is a famous painting in the museum; it pays respect to the people’s suffering during the bombing of Guernica in the Spanish Civil War.

Explore the Reina Sofia Collection

Reina Sofia Museum

The Reina Sofia Museum boasts a stellar permanent collection spanning centuries, art movements, and continents. Post-reopening on 27 November 2021, the museum’s Permanent Collection was divided basis of themes and genealogies rather than events and works. The museum’s collection of 2000 artworks is divided into eight thematic episodes, each with a unique vision and story.

  • Avant-Garde Territories: City, Architecture and Magazines
  • The Lost Thought
  • Enclosed Field
  • Double Exhibition: Art and the Cold War
  • Enemies of Poetry: Resistance in Latin America
  • A Drunken Boat: Eclecticism, Institutionalism and Disobedience in the ’80s
  • Apparatus 92: Can History Be Rewound?
  • Exodus and Communal Life

Reina Sofía Collection highlights | What to look out for

Surrealist movement painting

Surrealism

The museum's collection features an impressive selection of works by the Surrealist movement, including paintings by Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, and René Magritte. These artists were known for creating dreamlike, often bizarre images that challenged conventional ideas about art and reality.

Reina Sofia Museum

Cubism

The museum's collection also includes many examples of Cubist art, which emerged in the early 20th century and was pioneered by artists such as Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. Cubist art is characterized by its fragmented, geometric forms and its exploration of multiple viewpoints.

Reina Sofia Museum

Abstraction

The museum has a significant collection of abstract art, including works by Wassily Kandinsky and Kazimir Malevich. These artists sought to create art that was divorced from recognizable subject matter, instead emphasizing the expressive potential of color, shape, and line.

Spanish Civil War Art

Spanish Civil War Art

The museum's collection also includes many works that deal with the Spanish Civil War, including Guernica by Pablo Picasso, which is one of the museum's most famous pieces. These works reflect the political and social upheaval of the time and often have a strong sense of social commentary.

Thematic albums

Reina Sofia Museum's Thematic Albums offer an in-depth exploration of the museum's collections, providing a unique perspective on various themes in art and culture.

Reina Sofia Museum

Episode 1 : Avant-garde Territories. City, Architecture and Magazines

Sabatini Building, Floor 2

The Avant-garde Territories: City, Architecture and Magazines episode at Reina Sofia Museum is a thematic episode that explores the relationship between art and architecture in the first third of the 20th century. It features works by artists such as Le Corbusier, Theo van Doesburg, Gerrit Rietveld, El Lissitzky, and Kazimir Malevich.

stampa d'arte

Episode 2 : The Lost Thought

Sabatini Building, Floor 4

The Lost Thought is an exhibition that explores the relationship between art and politics in the 20th century. It features works by artists such as Marcel Broodthaers, Marcel Duchamp, and Robert Motherwell.

The Enigma of Hitler

Episode 3: Campo cerrado

Sabatini Building, Floor 4

“Episode 3: Campo cerrado” is a part of the “Autarchy in Spain” exhibition at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, Spain1. The exhibition covers the period from the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939 to 1953 with the signing of the Pacts of Madrid. “Campo cerrado” means “closed field” in Spanish and refers to a period when Spain was closed off from international trade.

Reina Sofia Museum

Episode 4: Double Exhibition: Art and Cold War

Sabatini Building, Floor 4

The exhibition covers the period from the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 to the end of the Cold War. This era was shaped by the predominance of the USA in the Western world. The exhibition explores how clashes were resolved to a large degree in the cultural sphere.

Reina Sofia Museum

Episode 5: Enemies of Poetry: Resistance in Latin America

Sabatini Building, Floor 4, and Nouvel Building, Floor 1

The exhibition “Episode 5: Enemies of Poetry: Resistance in Latin America” covers the period spanning the late 1960s to the mid-1980s. This era was marked by colonial legacy and a succession of totalitarian regimes. The exhibition explores artistic experimentations from the preceding decades that became radicalised and violently situated.

Reina Sofia Museum

Episode 6: A Drunken Boat: Eclecticism, Institutionalism and Disobedience in the ‘80s

Nouvel Building, Floor 0

The curator of the 1982 Documenta, Rudi Fuchs, proposed the title The Drunken Boat, inspired by Arthur Rimbaud's poem, to reflect the aimless drifting of art outside of "style wars". This approach led to a variety of forms and expressions that challenged the traditional boundaries of art. In Spain, the fledgling democracy brought institutionalization of art, which replaced social struggles against Francoism, and painting became the common language.

Reina Sofia Museum

Episode 7: Apparatus 92. Can History Be Rewound?

Sabatini Building, Floor 0

The exhibition explores the relationship between art and technology in the early 1990s. With the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the disintegration of the socialist bloc, free-market economic policies expanded, triggering responses from anti-globalization and alter-globalization movements.

Reina Sofia Museum

Exodus and Communal Life

Sabatini Building, Floor 1

Exodus and life together, the last episode of the Reina Sofía Collection, narrates the European struggle post the 2008 housing bubble. The art pieces and pictures in this episode reveal the financial and identity crisis in the streets of Europe. “Transactions of the rich. The action” and “circular flow of money” by Efren Alvarez are two interesting pieces you must explore.

Visitor tips

  • Visit the Reina Sofia Museum early in the morning or during lunchtime to avoid crowds. Budget travelers can visit for free during certain hours on weekdays and Sundays.
  • Book your tickets to the museum in advance. Online booking is an excellent option to skip the lines and quickly enter the museum.
  • Have time on your hands. The Reina Sofia Collection is extensive, with several artworks and exhibits on display.
  • Visitors with mobility issues and other disabilities can visit the Reina Sofia Museum comfortably. All areas are wheelchair accessible, and the museum has ramps and wheelchairs.
  • You can rent audio guides in multiple languages to learn about different artworks inside the museum.
  • While photography is allowed, avoid flash photography and tripods inside the museum.
  • Several cafes and restaurants are available within walking distance of the Reina Sofia Museum.



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Frequently asked questions about Reina Sofía Collection

How big is the Reina Sofía Museum collection?

The Reina Sofia museum collection features over 20,000 works of art, with only five percent currently displayed. In addition to the collection, the museum also boasts an extensive art library, featuring over 100,000 books.

What is part of Reina Sofía’s collection?

The Reina Sofia Collection features paintings, drawings, and sculptures by Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Joan Miró, Eduardo Chillida, and other legendary artists.

How long will it take to see the entire Reina Sofía collection?

You need between 3-4 hours to explore the major highlights of Reina Sofia Collection.

How many paintings are part of the Reina Sofía collection?

Around 2000 paintings are part of the Reina Sofia Collection.

What are the famous artworks of the Reina Sofía collection?

Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica,” “Face of the Great Masturbator” by Salvador Dali, and “Mendiant aveugle (Blind beggar)” by Dora Maar, aka Henriette Theodora Markovitch, are the highlights of the Reina Sofia Collection.

Is the entire Reina Sofía collection on display?

The Reina Sofía Museum houses one of the finest collections of contemporary art in the world, including Picasso’s iconic Guernica. However, not all of the collection is on display at any given time. The museum has reorganized its entire collection, which includes around 2,000 works of art.

How old is the Reina Sofía collection?

The Reina Sofia National Art Centre opened its doors to the public in 1990 with a major collection of Spanish and international art covering the period between the late 19th century to the present day.

Where is the Reina Sofía collection?

The Reina Sofia Collection is part of the Sabatini Building. It is spread over several floors.

Where is Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica” displayed at Reina Sofía?

Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica” is located on the 2nd floor in Room 205.10.

Where is Salvador Dalí’s “Retrato de Luis Buñuel (Portrait of Luis Buñuel)” displayed at Reina Sofía?

Salvador Dalí’s “Retrato de Luis Buñuel (Portrait of Luis Buñuel)” is displayed in Room 205.17 on the 2nd floor of the Reina Sofia Museum.

What sculptures are part of the Reina Sofía collection?

Pablo Picasso’s "Woman with a Mirror" and Alexander Calder’s "Carmen," are two popular sculptures of the Reina Sofia Collection.