Perfect Madrid

It is that time of year.  So what´s a person to do?  I know I´ve mentioned it before, but Madrid is one of the world´s greatest cities for art.  It´s museums compare favorably to anything you would find in New York, Paris, or London.  You can usually find a Madrid Museum Pass that includes many of the best museums, but even then you´d just be dipping your toes. 

Here´s a great rundown on Madrid´s best museums, and it doesn´t even include the Royal Palace and its Armory:

Three of Madrid’s most important cultural institutions have doubled in size in the past five years, a culinary explosion continues unabated, and several restaurants, run by the country’s top chefs, have opened in city museums. Madrid has also seen a boom in boutique hotels offering cutting-edge design and the latest technological amenities. Just this month, the 480-room Eurostars Madrid Tower opened in one of the four sky scrapers in the city’s new growing business hub, the Cuatro Torres area.

Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia — Spain’s modern art museum is planning modification and restoration of the building’s interior and exterior (during which the museum will remain open) and is making a heavy investment in new art. The museum will develop a series of happenings, poetry readings and dance performances to take place on its recently-opened sixth floor terraces (which are free to the public from 10 AM to 9 PM). A major retrospective of the renowned Julio González, one of the re-inventors of sculpture in the 20th century, runs from March 11 to June 1. Other upcoming shows include: American cult artist, Paul Thek, from February 6 to April 20; a retrospective of Catalan conceptual artist, Eulàlia Valldosera, February 4 to April 20; American conceptual sculptor, Paul Sietsema, March 25 to May 25; contemporary sculptor, Juan Muñoz, April 22 to August 31; and Fischli & Weiss’s multimedia installations, May 1 to July 6. After seeing these shows, hungry art lovers can enjoy lunch at the museum’s restaurant, presided over by Sergi Arola, one of Madrid’s most inventive chefs.
www.museoreinasofia.es/museoreinasofia/live/index.html

CaixaForum Madrid — The latest addition to Madrid’s cultural scene, the $96 million CaixaForum opened in March. Thanks to a stunning makeover by Herzog and de Meuron, this former 1899 electrical power station is now a new venue for art exhibitions, film screenings, concerts, workshops and conferences. A vertical garden by Patrick Blanc covers one side of the façade. Running through February 15, “The School of Yi: 30 Years of Abstract Chinese Art” will showcase 80 paintings, sculptures and installations by 40 artists. “Risk Zones,” presenting works from the Foundation’s contemporary collection opens February 11 to May 3.
http://obrasocial.lacaixa.es/centros/caixaforummadrid_es.html

Museo del Prado — The recent debut of the Prado’s $208 million expansion marked the final renovation of Madrid’s major museums. Through April 12, “Among Gods and Men: Classical Sculpture from the Albertinum in Dresden and the Museo del Prado” will present – for the first time outside Germany – 46 classical sculptures from the Dresden museum. Starting in February, the museum will host two concurrent exhibitions: “Francis Bacon,” February 3 to April 19, and “Sleeping Beauty: Victorian Painting from the Ponce Art Museum,” February 17 to May 10. In May, a special show of murals by Sorolla will move from Barcelona to the Prado. www.museodelprado.es

Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum — Now doubled in size, the museum includes some 700 masterpieces from the Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection. Opening February 10, “The Shadow” will present an overview of the depiction of shadows in art from the Renaissance to the present. A major exhibition, “Matisse: 1917-1942,” will run from June 9 to September 20. www.museothyssen.org

International Convention Centre — The city’s third convention center will add much-needed capacity when it opens at the end of 2010. Set in a 15-acre urban park, the center’s façade will glow from thousands of small energy-saving lights. The main auditorium will accommodate 3,500 and can be extended to hold 5,000. Each year, 4,000 conventions and meetings are staged in Madrid, drawing 700,000 participants.