This magnificent museum is based on the collection assembled by Baron Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza and his son, Hans Heinrich, the preceding baron. In 1992 it was installed in Madrid’s 18th-century Villahermosa Palace, and was sold to the nation the following year. From its beginnings in the 1920s, the collection was intended to illustrate the history of Western art, from Italian and Flemish primitives, through to 20th-century Expressionism and Pop Art. The museum’s collection, consisting of more than 1,000 paintings, includes masterpieces by Titian, Goya, Van Gogh and Picasso. Carmen Thyssen’s collection of mainly impressionist art opened to the public in 2004. It is regarded by many critics as the most important private art collection in the world.
Banco de España, Sevilla.
1, 9, 14, 20, 27, 37, 45.
10am–7pm Tue–Sun; Jul & Aug: also 7pm–11pm Tue–Sat for temporary exhibitions.
1 Jan, 1 May & 25 Dec.
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza
The galleries are arranged around a covered central courtyard, which rises the full height of the building. The top floor starts with early Italian art and goes through to the 17th-century. The first floor continues the story with 17th-century Dutch works and ends with German Expressionism. The ground floor is dedicated to 20th-century paintings.