Of the three museums that make up Madrid's Golden Triangle of Art, this is the one people tend to forget. Indeed this was the third big museum Jamie W and I visited since we didn't have enough time until our 4th day in Madrid. The museum's unpronounceable name doesn't help much. It also houses a broad collection of art that isn't as easy to categorize as the Prado (classical Spanish masters) and the Reina Sofía (contemporary 20th-century art). The museum spans eight centuries of Western art across four floors from 13th-century medieval works on the top floor to 20th-century pop art at the bottom. Richard Estes' Telephone Booths (Photo 8) and Charles Bell's Thunder Smash (Photo 9) are personal favorites of mine. In between are works from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, as well as Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, German Expressionism, and Early Avant-Garde movements. The most familiar paintings are on the middle and main floors where works by Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, Dalí, Degas, Manet and Hopper are spotlighted. Unlike the other two museums, this one started as a private collection amassed by two generations of one wealthy Hungarian-German family, which explains why it covers multiple genres not covered by the other two. Admission is 14€ or alternatively 32,8€ for the entire Golden Triangle of Art. RELATED - Exploring Madrid? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/P0_zGgWaQT read more

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One of the golden triangle of Madrid art museums, you need three to four hours for this one. The best order, if possible, is the Prado the first day (which takes all day) because one can learn so much from the very detailed descriptions there that will help frame the order the art here is arranged in. The collection spans from a couple of pieces from the 13th century to contemporary, with especially good collections of Spanish medieval, Dutch masters, French impressionist, expressionist, cubist, modernism, post abstract realism, and 20th century sculpture. Although we bought tickets for all three when we went to the Prado, we found ourselves in line before Noon on free day Monday. The line was daunting it was so long, but once they opened we were in within about 20 minutes. The crowd wasn't as stifling as in the Prado, but worse than the Sofia, but you just don't want to miss this amazing art musuem just because it's too popular. Lots of sick people cough and sneezing, I would mask up. read more

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This is a highly underrated museum that many people pass up. I get it, the Prado is amazing and it should be visited. However, this museum, which is a private collection, should be on your Madrid itinerary. This museum contains a ton of art by well-known and not so well-known artist laid out in a very fluent manner. From 15th century realism to 20th century post-impressionism and everything in between, this museum contains beautiful pieces from Monet, Van Gough, John Sargent, Picasso, and many more. Additionally, it houses a rather large collection of assorted sculptures. The best part of all, you can take as many pictures as you want (unlike the Prado) just no flash. There's a large gift shop at the entrance of the museum and bathrooms downstairs under the gift shop. Be sure to visit...the gift shop that is, unless you need the bathroom then do that too. I recommend booking a tour to get the most out of your trip and money. Our tour guide, Luis, from "Fun and Tickets" booked through the "Get Your Guide" app was incredibly informative and insightful. There's no way we would have seen what we saw and experienced what we did without him. Overall, this is a great museum that needs more people to experience its wonder. Enjoy! read more

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Walking around Madrid and from Retiro park, eating some Turons along the way, you'll stumble upon Baron Heinrich's museum - Thyssen- Bornemisza. It looks very unassuming and non-pretentious but once inside, you'll be blown away by their collection. I'm an Impressionist dude and I was very no highly, impressed. Renior, Gauguin, Vincent, Monet, Degas, etc. You'll be absolutely stunned!! Not to mention other artists like Pollock, Chagall, Picasso, Goya, DelaCroix, Mondrian (Piet), and other pieces that were incredible but unknown to me. You could easily spend half a day here but I couldn't commit that time since I don't live here, so I was hurried and a little irritated that I couldn't linger too long like Bueller staring at Georges Seurat's - A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. But come anyway, it would be far better to be rushed than to not experience coming here at all. Fun fact - Did you know that part of this collection is still owned by a Baroness Carmen. The Spanish government bought a considerable portion of it. read more

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This museum is free on Mondays between 12-4pm! Yes it'll be on the busier side but it's worth it because there is so much art to be seen, and also so many museums in Madrid! read more

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Great, great art collection. Nice variety of styles and types of art. And the cafe was shockingly good. I had the best Caesar Salad of my life, and my wife had some type of potato soup with artichoke hearts and prawns, and she loved hers also. Personally, this museum should be better known than the Prado in my book. read more

Museu Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza - Caesar salad, potato soup. - Museums Near Me - Madrid, M

The Thyssen is an often overlooked museum in Madrid and they have a small but eclectic and work-class collection of art from Spain and abroad. I visited on a holiday (Dia de la Imaculada) at 8pm to visit the Chanel/Picasso exhibit. Unfortunately, most of the museum was closed at this hour but I am glad I came to this show. Because it was after hours and an extra fee event, I felt like this was a private party. The coat check was free and the crowd was somewhat small. PRO TIP: The courtyard here is really cool and serene. It is free to walk in and hang out before going inside and the palm trees outside give you a nice ambience. If you are looking for some art outside of El Prado or the Reina Sofia, stop by the Thyssen. You will be glad you did. read more

Museu Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza - View of the courtyard at the Thyssen - Museums Near Me - Madrid, M

Wonderful museum and collection. The pieces were absolutely wonderful! I went specifically for the Magritte exhibit and then saw the rest of the collection. The Magritte exhibit was well thought out and very beautiful. Staff were serious about the time slot you book though. The rest of the museum is beautifully put together and the layout is well thought out. I highly recommend this as a museum to see in Madrid! read more

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I didn't originally plan to come to this museum, but when passing by in our Uber, I saw that they were featuring a special Georgia O'Keefe exhibit for the summer. I was able to purchase tickets the day of (which I found surprising), and we went! The Georgia O'Keefe special exhibit (included in the entrance fee), was fantastic. I didn't know much about her artwork, but after going, I felt like I learned a lot about the type of person she was, and the art she brought to this world. I loved her paintings - so calming, beautiful, and relaxing. The rest of the museum had a few pieces of interesting art, including maybe 1 Monet, a few Edward Hopper. I wanted to see Cubism and Picasso, but it was under construction during that time. I think this museum is worth going to if you enjoy seeing the above artists. It's not a huge museum, and can be quickly done within 1 hour. read more

Date of Visit: 11/3/19 Much like the Energizer bunny, this museum keeps on going and going. While you may be tempted to stop, don't. Carve out time to go through as many of the exhibits as you can, because they have some amazing pieces. We ended up spending about 3-3.5 hours there. We went on a Sunday, late morning, and were planning to go to El Rastro (the Sunday only flea market) after but we ended up spending so much time in the museum that we missed it. No regrets. A few tips: The museum was crowded but that will often be the case. I think going when they first open is when they're least busy. Buy your tickets online in advance. We did and were able to avoid the line for purchasing tickets. Entry to the museum is free for a few hours on Mondays but it'll likely be busier during this time. read more

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The most modern and accessible of Madrid's three primary museums, Museu Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza contains an unparalleled number of Spanish masterpieces, plus several French Impressionists. Open early to late, without photograph restrictions, be on the lookout for Picasso, Dali and Miro across several galleries. read more

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Five stars for a well organized museum that is packed full of the sort of art that I love to see. Dali, Courbet, Pollock, Monet, Pissarro, Magritte, Lichtenstein, Matisse, and of course, Picasso. My favorite, Piet Mondrian, had some on display as well. I was pleased to see Charlotte artist Romare Bearden on display too. Do not skip the audio tour. There is very little information on the captions and the extra information there is vital to understanding the art. The museum shop is well stocked and the posters on sale are quite inexpensive. read more

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I visited this museum after work one day by myself years ago and had a blast wandering around the different floors and taking my sweet time as I soaked in the art. I couldn't believe that there were Picasso, O'Keefe, and van Gogh paintings right in front of my face. So surreal. It's only 9 Euros to visit, so I highly recommend stopping in, even if it's for a brief amount of time. Enjoy! read more

A great collection of bold and beautiful modern art (although there was a stunning Caravaggio and a few other beautiful classics there as well). The collection is well curated and each piece has a QR code for detailed and interesting writeups on each piece that I found to be far superior to the Prado. This museum is not as large as the Prado (thank goodness), so I was able to complete the entire museum in about 4 hours (I linger a lot at certain paintings, if you are not as enthused as I am you can probably complete in 1-2 hours) The cafeteria is delicious, but very slow-paced service. I was glad I stopped in at the end of my visit, I had plenty of time to rest my aching feet and savor a nice glass of wine. The only irritating thing is that they held a special exhibit downstairs that WASN'T covered by my Art Walk pass (that gives access to Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen). So I had to buy ANOTHER ticket just to see two small rooms of art. Other than that, great space, I recommend a visit. read more

I visited the Prado, which was nice. But the Thyssen was more my speed. Give me impressionism and contemporary art under one roof and I'm set. The Tyssen is definitely do-able in a matter of a few hours. And unlike the Prado, the Thyssen lets you photograph the artwork. Which is great because I'm getting forgetful in my old age. I love to share my favorites with friends and family back home. We visited on a Sunday and there was no wait (probably because the Prado was free that day). So we enjoyed a very spacious gallery with ample time to wander the halls and not feel crowded or overheated. Degas, Picasso, Monet and Sargent--a few from each of my favorites. And I found some new favorites--Loiseau, Hassam, Denis. Very enjoyable and definitely worth our time. read more

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What a great small museum experience in Madrid. After being somewhat disappointed by somewhat monotonous artwork at the neighboring Prado Museum on a previous visit to Madrid, the variety of artwork at this museum hit all the right notes with me. There is recognizable artistic styles by lots of well renowned international painters, despite perhaps not having their most prominent works of art on display. The organization and layout of the museum are perfect to kill a few hours. I was able to get in just under 2 hours before the museum closed, but could have easily spent an extra hour or two going through all the rooms. The lines for tickets are awful, but luckily there is free WiFi and you can buy general admission tickets within minutes on your phone to skip the lines. read more

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This museum is the perfect mix of various art styles and is small enough to feel like you're making progress as you go about the museum. Or the perfect museum to go to when your partner doesn't want to go to anymore museums but you still want to go to one. I also appreciated how NOT packed this museum was. As for the art, I was impressed with the Thyssen-Bornemisza collections and how well the diverse set of painters and artwork complimented one another. My favorite pieces were the tiny collection of still life paintings (dunno why I appreciate it so much, but it brings me back to high school art class which was always a nice mental break, as with admiring the simplicity in the concept of still life) as well as the larger collection of paintings mastering the study of light and it's contrast with shadows. Tips: -free bag and coat check -free visits on Mondays thanks to MasterCard! No prior booking needed. Just show up to the museum. read more

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Superb art collection. Truly stunning and top notch curated and donated by baroness Thyssen, Dona Carmen. Muchas gracias.

I visited Thysse while on Madrid since is one of the must see places. Museum is easily organized to walk thru and see all collections at your own pace, ambiance is quite and relaxed, art is organized. You can walk and enjoy this museum in about 3 hours, take more time if you find a particular piece that caught your attention. I got impressed to find one paint from Mexican Diego Rivera among the European art collection. Art is from a private collection so is expected to have variety on the items found there. read more

This museum was created to house one families art collection, with some 1000 works of art spanning from the 13th century to Pop Art it is amazing the big names represented here, The museum isn't huge especially compared to the neighboring Prado but it fills in the gaps Prado and Reina Sofia have by their nature, The three should be taken as an amazing whole. The collection can feel a bit disjointed but that is because it was built by the family of what they wanted and not untill the end envisioned as a museum collection. Because of that there was I think one Monet but lots of lesser known impressionists. Lots of portraits (one of Baron Thussen-Bornemisza ( I believe the one that sold to collection to Spain) that I saw. Here most people won't see any paintings they already know about but they will know many of the artists and see important works by artists they don't know. The museum is on three floors and well layed out, I doubt anyone gets lost here. It took me about 3 hours to see, It is currently free on Monday afternoons. read more

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There is no denying the fact that the Prado is the crown jewel of museums in Madrid. It's one of the worlds greatest, but my favorite museum in this beautiful city is the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. It truly amazes me that this was once a private collection. There are some really amazing pieces housed here. The exhibits are well well laid out with each room and floor dedicated to a certain era or genera. My favorite by far is the French Impressionism where there are plenty of works by some of the most admired painters including Monet, Van Gogh, Manet, Pissaro and others. And of course there are plenty of works by Spanish artists as well. A kick ass museum in a kick ass city! read more

Such an amazing collection in a small intimate museum. No crowds, no lines, wonderful. Every artist was represented; Chagal, Matisse and Kadinsky, to name a few. We bought tickets online, 12,00 Euro each and had entrance to the Marc Beckmann show. WONDERFUL. The rooms/layout are a little awkward but overall a wonderful museum. read more

Does this gallery stand up in size against Prado & Reina Sofia? No. Does it display as much intriguing modern work as CaixaForum? No. Does it still house one of my favourite Dali paintings of all time, "Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening"? Yes. Is that enough to give it an enthusiastic five stars? Yes. It might not be the sprawling landscape of some of Madrid's bigger museums and yes, you will find Dali's work elsewhere in the city. But any time you get the opportunity to stand mere inches away from a piece by Dali... or Picasso...or Derain... or van Gogh... or Monet? That is a GOOD day. read more

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This was an excellent museum, but I would say the audio tour is absolutely mandatory. The paintings have no written descriptions aside from the name of the artist, title, year, and medium. However, the audio tour is really nicely done. In many of the rooms, they give an overall description of the type of art there, as well as highlighting 1-3 key pieces. They don't overwhelm you by having audio descriptions of every single thing. Overall, I felt like I saw a lot of great works and learned a lot about art in general. Also, you're allowed to enter and exit as many times as you want in one day, which is nice if you want a break in the middle of this huge museum. Highly recommended. read more

The prado museum is across the street and gets all the hype! Touted as the best fine art main Europe...we dutifully visited both art museums. Personally I think that's all garbage as this smaller, more obscure museum has many more fascinating pieces to view. I thoroughly enjoyed this space. We always bought tickets online so we could skip the lines. Highly recommend going to this art museum. For sure, see both but make sure you point this one on your list. Incredible memories and absolutely worth it! They've got distinctive orange walls and they're cool with you photographing the work. read more

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This is an art museum not so far from the Prado. It's a private art collection of Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza. Reasonably priced entrance fee. Very nice works by Monet, Van Gogh, Van Eyck, Gaugin and Caravaggio. read more

This is one of my favourite museums and, in my view, one of the world's greatest 'small' art galleries. The first time I visited, aged 17, I reached the end of the stunning collection spanning Western Art from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, to find my dad and sister fuming as they had arrived there about an hour earlier. Returning this year I found it just as magical, the sheer quality of the art is breathtaking. It's like one of those movies where multiple A-listers from every generation of Hollywood actors has a part, except this is 1000s of generations and the resulting show is completely amazing. There are so many highlights but the beautiful collection of Impressionist paintings and striking modern art selection are particularly crowd pleasing. Another great thing about this museum is that it's open till 7pm, which gives your day a lot more flexibility (for late lunches, shopping and siestas!) and also means you can end up alone in a room full of sensational art, which is pretty thrilling. I think other reviewers are right in saying 3 hours is a decent amount of time to get through the galleries, although of course you could dwell longer. read more

Another one of the 3 major museums you must visit while in Madrid. It's not super huge so you can squeeze it in. My favorite piece was the Piet Mondrian. read more

My favorite museum in Madrid. Had a nice variety of collections and some interesting pieces. I especially enjoyed the in depth rooms where they describe one piece of art in particular from all points of view. In addition, the museum was small enough not to take up too much of your time, and provided a good route for circling the museum in an efficient manner. Would definitely make a point to visit once when in Madrid. read more

This museum is top-notch. My dad and I went on a free Sunday afternoon, which admittedly may have been a mistake (swarms if people), but we didn't really mind. We bonded over our shared love of contemporary art, and we also introduced each other to some of our more classical favorites. My dad is really into Impressionism, and I love Baroque. There was something for both of us! read more

Museu Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza - Museums Near Me - Madrid, M

This is truly an amazing collection of art. While it can be a bit expensive compared to other museums it is well worth it. Tickets are sold for specific entry times. If you buy at the door expect a 1-2 hour wait. Check for online tickets at the official museum website if you want to arrange a time ahead of time. The workers in the museum are top notch and very helpful. Note re the cafe: The food is high quality and pretty hearty and chef prepared so not a bad place for a good bite! The cafe workers (downstairs in glass room) are grumpy and won't let you sit at a table if you don't want a meal. Now, grumpy servers aside, the food is pretty top notch with a stand out hamburger and good salads from what others were ordering. The hamburger looked off the hook amazing! While I think my server was disappointed I only ordered desert and a coffee I did see lots of people try to rudely push past the servers, seat themselves, refuse to wait, so perhaps they're a little grumpy because tourists can be jerks. The staff at the outdoor cafe upstairs were super friendly. read more

This was our favorite museum in Madrid. One of the exhibits we happened to see was local artists painting work that was really spectacular. We still talk about that show and wished we could have afforded a couple pieces from that show. It's clean, has a nice restaurant and is more of a boutique experience than the Prado. read more

Part of the Golden Triangle of Art, the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza used to be a private collection. Nevertheless, the collection is impressive here. A little bit of everything from the European masters. They had a Chagall exhibit in addition to the normal exhibits but we didn't upgrade our pass for that. I'm ok though. Three museums on one ticket is a LOT to take in. We visited the Thyssen after spending hours at the Prado which happens to be right across the street. The Collection expands the centuries and is displayed mostly in order. We made the mistake of checking out the first floor before going upstairs and had our order all wrong. If you have the time, check it out because they do have worthwhile pieces ranging from artists like Picasso, Dali, Miro, Turner, El Greco, etc. read more

One of my absolute favorite museums of all time, period. Great space, the staff are knowledgeable and friendly. It's in the center of the city and the building is gorgeous. I love their exhibits including the Surrealist one we saw in December. We always come back here when we're in Madrid. It's just that cool. read more

I'm so glad I came here. It's a lovely, rather varied collection in a building that's not completely overrun with peaceful, so my visit felt very peaceful (as compared to the Prado, which was a zoo!). There were so many pieces I loved, and some artists I didn't know. Highly recommended. read more

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Eng-version Absolutely amazing! Madrid offers a great choice of museums and this is a must! We enjoyed all the permanent collections, especially Carmen's exposition. Ita version Madrid offre una varietà di musei, dei quali il Thyssen è certamente uno degli imperdibili. Le collezioni sono eccezionali, piacevolissime da ammirare e di notevolissimo spessore. A mio parere, la parte più interessante è la collezione della baronessa, ma è un mio gusto personale. Molto bella anche la parte dedicata agli artisti più recenti. Vale sicuramente il viaggio! read more

This is a small museum. Compared to the main museum I wouldn't go out of your way for this or make it your primary trip, however, if you have some time to kill than by all means go for it. If you have one of those triple museum hopper passes than visit but don't worry if you miss it. It's not to say that this is a bad museum, however, it pales in comparison to the major one. There are a couple cool things but it seemed random in a bad way. They started putting that collection together in 1987, therefore, their selection was limited. The admission alone of 10 Euro was worth it just to see the Salvador Dali painting titled, "Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening." Weirdly it was a lot smaller than I had originally thought that it would be. They had one painting by Georgia Keeffe that surprisingly was not a vagina but an odd orange and yellow abstract painting. It confirmed that Frank Stella is overrated in my books. Same with Francis Bacon whose work reminds me of those Mad Magazine fold ins. Room 47 has stuff that is geared towards more of a pop culture-ish angle while still maintaining within tradition. Personally I love looking at realistic landscaping paintings. There were a few in which I just stared at for a good 10 minutes and just got lost and daydreamed about being inside the painting walking around in the forest, beach or sunset. They had some random Van Gogh paintings. They're not realistic but they're very textured which he has a talent for doing. The pictures themselves didn't capture me so much as the method, however, I can see why people go ape shit over this guy in the art world. There was a section for "avant-garde" work, however, these seemed more like random paintings with loose brush strokes that weren't that spectacular. I guess my issue was that it wasn't real enough that I could feel emotionally involved in the painting. They had a decent selection of religious paintings that were decent. The big museum has a more impressive collection if you're into that sort of theme. I just walked in the rooms and closed my eyes. Religious themed paintings annoy me just based on the subject matter. I've seen more Jesus pictures and paintings than the images burnt on my toast from my 1981 toaster. The problem with this museum is that there are a few good rooms while must can be duds. Staff were really friendly and helpful and the coat check was awesome. It took my best friend and I a good 2 hours to get through the whole thing, longer if you want to add in the religious stuff. It's an easy to follow layout that even someone as directionally challenged as myself got through it fine. My only complaint is that they need to do more with the rooms themselves to make the art pieces pop. Gift shop was decent as I bought some postcards of a few pieces that caught my attention. read more

I really enjoyed this museum. I am not an art expert by any means, but I enjoyed seeing a lot of different genres under one roof. Museum is well laid out with a logical path to take everything in. Place is free on Monday afternoons, but even when not free admission is very reasonable. They allow strollers in the museum, making the joint fairly kid friendly. read more

All the big names are on show for you to see. I haven't seen so many Picasso paintings under on roof before it was fantastic Huge fan of impressionist paintings and there was a very nice collection on display Well priced for what you get to see too The museum is designed with an excellent flow through the works and space is plentiful They have timed entry for the exhibition which is both good - crowd control - and bad because you may have to wait some time until your entry time comes round but never mind as the main display will easily keep you busy Not to hard to find and close to the other two big art museums of Madrid If you like seeing art from a wide variety of artists then this museum is a must visit read more

Do yourself a favor and buy a Paseo del Arte ticket for 18 euros which allows entrance to the Thyssen, Reina Sofia and the Prado. I found the Thyssen to have the least impressive collection of the three museums but it was still pretty amazing. My favorite by far was the Lichtenstein but you will find great paintings by many Spanish artists (El Greco, Picasso, Miro) as well as other 20th century artists you may be familiar with (Gaughin, Matisse, Monet, Derain, Klee). read more