Museo Thyssen Bornemisza, Madrid

You may not want to go all the way to Madrid to visit an arts museum, but should you ever get there, the Museo Thyssen Bornesmisza could be THE place to get you interested in painting, maybe for the first time. I am writing this review for those of you who until now probably couldn't care less about the fine arts, let alone paintings. Maybe you have regarded the interest in arts to be pseudo intellectual, or too difficult to get into, or you have just been turned away by one of these dark and pompous works by an old Flamish master. If you are already an expert, you may find something new in ... more

The main art gallery in Madrid, El Prado is full of riches particularly its collection of Goyas and El Greco. But the Museo Thyssen Bornemisza should not be missed. Lets start by talking about the gallery itself, which is very stylish and well run. Most of the staff seem to be highly elegant young women, all dressed in green blazers and blue skirts, and with excellent foreign language skills (in particular they all seem to speak English), and obviously well trained in “customer care”. I’ve never been in a gallery where the staff are so polite and helpful. In fact it’s a ... more

The Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza is sited in a rather inconspicuous building not to far from the Prado. If you have time to visit it, it is definitely worth a look. It is a collection of art varying from Velazquez through to Liechtenstein and was sold by an aristocratic couple after whom the museum is named, for about $600m. Although not as grand as the Prado, it contains some real gems. My personal favourite is a piece by Salvador Dali, entitled 'Dream inspired by a bee flying round a pomegranite.' Even if the title is unfamiliar, the painting won't be. It is one of his most famous pieces and is ... more