Quote: After the disappointment of the Prado, some of our group was reluctant to go to another art gallery during our short trip, but five of us spent a Sunday morning at this amazing gallery and were very glad that we didn't miss it.

The main attraction here is “Guernica,” Picasso's famous mural depicting the horrors of the Spanish Civil War. This painting is huge and one of the most moving things I have ever seen, inspiring anger and terror at the brutal regime that blighted Spain's fairly recent history. Anyone who doubts the talent of Picasso and his Cubist style needs to see this to understand his genius.

There are some other gems here too by Picasso and Dali, including early work, proving that they can paint “properly” for anyone who doesn't like Cubism or Surrealism. Bunuel's “Un Chien Andalou” was also showing here when we visited, and the scene with eye and the razor is still one of the most powerful images ever put on screen.

It being a Sunday morning of a hen weekend, it is worth pointing out that we were feeling tired from the night before and the bride-to-be in particular was feeling a bit hungover, but the white walls and the cool air in the gallery proved to be soothing and modern art an unexpected hangover cure!
From journals Hen Weekend in Madrid

Quote: We found our visit to the Reina Sofia delightful. Since our visit, the French architect Jean Nouvel has created a new building to house special exhibitions, a larger bookshop, and a restaurant, as well as an interior plaza. If you visit this June, you can see a Juan Gris retrospective. This promises to be an exciting display of his paintings, drawings, and sculpture, of which the museum has a strong collection. One of the foremost Cubists, Gris captured the spirit of his times with striking clarity. Noteworthy Gris canvasses include "Violin and Guitar," "Retrato de Josette," "Still Life in Front of the Cupboard," "Guitar at the Sea," and "The Singer," representative works progressing from 1913 to 1926, the year before this Madrileno artist died at only 40 years of age.

If you read Spanish, do pick up the free brochure "MNCARS La Coleccion Permanente," as it gives you the room numbers of artists’ works on floors 2a to 4a. There’s a Big Three featured in this museum devoted primarily to Spanish artists, which includes Picasso, Miro, and Dali. The "star attraction" is Picasso’s "Guernica," an enormous oil-on-canvass that the ill-fated Republican government commissioned for the 1937 Universal Exhibition in Paris. Unexpectedly and horrifically, Picasso’s subject matter for that commission stemmed from his angry response to Fascist atrocity. On April 26 of that year, Nazi aircraft simpatico to Franco bombed the Basque town of Guernica, killing and maiming civilians in a bizarre preview of efficiently devastating blitzkriegs to come. Ironically, the muted grey, white, and black memorial of that event depicts no bombs, no guns, and no soldiers. Bullfighting symbols occur, but there are no symbols of war. And lots of gaping mouths abound in this scene of the effects of technological indifference to humanity.

This famous cartoon-like work occupies the center of the Sofia’s second floor. Like the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, "Guernica" draws the most attention from visitors. Since I had seen it years ago, in the ‘50s, when it was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I was more interested in the nearby photo collection by Dora Maar that captured the stages during Picasso’s execution of the work. After Franco’s and Picasso’s death, it still took time until "Guernica" returned in 1981 to a non-Franco Spain as the ardently anti-Franco Picasso had stipulated. Later, when the Sofia opened up in a reconverted hospital, "Guernica" was moved appropriately to this contemporary Spanish museum.

From journals Magnificent Museum Madrid

Quote: The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia occupies what was once Madrid’s San Carlos Hospital, a late 18th century building that’s been updated with recent expansion and slick exterior glass elevators. The emphasis here is on 20th century Spanish art, and some of the obvious notables such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Juan Gris, and Joan Miró are among the artists given prominent space.

Picasso’s Guernica is by far the most famous painting at the Reina Sofia. Commissioned by the Republican government to create a mural for the Spanish Pavilion at the 1937 Paris World’s Fair, Picasso at first procrastinated, unsure what his subject would be. Then on April 26, 1937 the northern Spanish town of Guernica was bombed by Nazi warplanes in support of nationalist leader General Francisco Franco’s attempt to overthrow the republic. The bombing was one of the first instances of saturation air strikes against non-military targets. Although the exact death toll was never firmly established, an estimated 1,500 people were killed and the town was leveled.

Picasso had his subject and immediately set to work. Initial sketches were produced within 5 days of the incident, and despite the size of the piece (roughly 11.5ft x 25.5ft) he completed the painting by June 4. The stark black, gray and white canvas is rich in symbolism. At the left a woman wails with a dead child in her arms. An exploding light bulb is a possible reference to air warfare. A horse wounded by a spear is said to represent the Spanish people. And there’s much more.

The painting still has an impact today. In early February of 2003, a tapestry reproduction at the entrance of the United Nations Security Council was covered with a blue curtain, as officials deemed it inappropriate for Colin Powell to speak about the prospect of war in Iraq with the 20th century's most iconic protest against it as a backdrop.

Elsewhere there’s a nice example of the cubist style by Juan Gris, Portrait of Rosette (1916). Man With a Pipe (1925) and Portrait (1938) are two of the exceptional Miró pieces in the collection.

Dalí also receives hero status here, and Dalí is where 20th century art tends to escape me. Having been to the Dalí museum in Paris, however, I knew what I was in for. While I can certainly appreciate Dalí’s skill as a painter, his message pretty much escapes me. I mean, when one of his paintings has a grasshopper, a fish hook, ants, and a male torso in underwear (just to name a few), I can’t help but wonder what exactly it is he’s trying to tell me. I left the Dalí room defeated and frustrated trying to understand his work.

Your artistic leanings aside, Guernica alone makes the Reina Sofia worth a visit.

Additional information:
Web site: http://museoreinasofia.mcu.es/
Metro: Atocha (L1)
Tel: +34 91 467 50 62
Fax: +34 91 467 31 63

From journals Madrid From Kilometer Zero

Quote: The glass and steel elevators immediately brought to mind the centre Pompidou’s exoskeleton in Paris; both showcase modern art. I suppose the most famous work contained therein is Picasso’s “Guernica,” but I weaved my way around the crowd to view other pieces, especially the installations including Miró, Gris, and avant-garde turn-of-the-century Spanish works. With Sunday being a free admission day, it was crowded, but well-worth the visit. The interior courtyard is a serene place to unwind after two hours of cultural elevation.
From journals no spain, no gain