This is a rather large and apparently very important museum in Madrid. The building dates back to the 18th century and is in baroque style. Goya was once a director of this academy and such painters as Dali and Picasso were taught here. The collection begins on the first floor where you can see large tapestries and benches with letters "RABA" on them. The first floor has a large collection of works by Mengs, Van Loo, Batoni, Rafael, Titian, Fragonard, Andres de la Calleja, Zurbaran, El Greco, Morales, Ribera, Reni, Murillo, Rubens, Van Dyck, and three rooms of Goya’s paintings. The second floor has paintings by Velazquez, Indian and Egyptian art, Spanish impressionists: Sorolla, Torres, Vazquez, Arenadno, Rico, de Haes, Gato de Lema, and Spanish modern: Picasso, Gris. Unfortunately, several rooms on both floors are closed because of lack of staff. We asked them to open several rooms for us, but they refused. Better luck next time!
This building also houses Prints Institute where there is a very interesting collection of Giovanni Batista Piranesi’s lithographs, and another temporary exhibit "Westmoreland: Memories of the Grand Tour" that shows the diaries, paintings and sculptures brought back from the expedition of the Westmorland, which was an English ship with 26 canons, that brought a collection of paintings and sculptures back with it from its travels through Europe. This collection was bought by Carlos III and given to the museum in 1783-84.
Telephone: 91 532 15 46.
Open: Tues-Fri 9am–7pm, Sat-Mon 9am–2:30pm.
Prices: 2.40€ – adults, 1.20€ – students, free Sat and Sun.