Best of all, spring in Madrid means the height of the art season! Follow us along the elegant boulevards for the city’s most exciting art fairs, best contemporary galleries, and art museums. Grab your café con leche to-go, and explore this beautiful city as it begins to bloom.
Another city guide, another handy Art Fix map! Save it, share it, use it as you please. Now onto the fun stuff…
MUST-SEE MUSEUM SHOWS
Antoni Tàpies | Museo Reina Sofía
- Until 24 Jun ’24
- Calle Santa Isabel 52
- museoreinasofia.es
This exhibition marks the centenary of the birth of Antoni Tàpies (1923–2012). A self-taught artist, music lover and bibliophile, Tàpies constantly reflected on the human condition, his historical situation and artistic practice.
James Lee Byars | Palacio de Velázquez
- 9 May – 1 Sept ’24
- Retiro Park
- museoreinasofia.es
On display are large-scale works made from precious and refined materials — marble, silk, gold leaf, crystal — and which harmoniously combine with minimal and archetypal geometries — prisms, spheres, and pillars.
Precious Okomoyon | Fundación Sandretto Re Rebaudengo
- Until 3 Apr ‘24
- Montaña de los Gatos, Retiro Park
- fsrr.org
Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, ‘When the Lambs Rise Up Against the Bird of Prey’ presents a breathtaking Gesamtkunstwerk by Nigerian-American artist Precious Okomoyon that temporarily plunges the viewer into a sublime fairy-tale world.
Arte y Naturaleza | Caixa Forum
- Until 9 Jun ’24
- Paseo del Prado 36
- caixaforum.org
In Arte y Naturalize, around 80 pieces from Center d’Art Georges Pompidou enter into a dialogue with nature. In this era, in which, under the yoke of multiple crises – climatic, ecological and territorial – nature, as we know it, is in danger of disappearing.
Art Fix Tip: The vertical gardening on the square in front of Caixa Forum, that was renovated by Herzog and The Meuron back in 2002, is a show stopper.
Museo del Prado
- Paseo del Prado s/n
- museodelprado.es
You can’t leave Madrid without seeing the impressive collection of the Prado. It houses masterpieces by Goya, Velasquez, Bosch, Rubens and El Greco. Later this year the exhibition “Polke/Goya”, will reveal the relationship between Sigmar Polke, considered one of the most influential painters of the post-war period, and Goya.
Isabel Quintanilla | Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum
- Until 2 Jun ‘24
- Paseo del Prado 8
- museothyssen.org
Though her work was celebrated in Germany throughout the 70s and 80s, Isabel Quintanilla’s astute and intimate still life paintings have never before been foregrounded in her native Spain.
Espacio SOLO
- Plaza de la Independencia 5
- coleccionsolo.com
‘Espacio SOLO’ is an intimate, but impressive private collection that can be visited by appointment.
Marc Chagall | Fundación MAPFRE
- Until 5 May ‘24
- Paseo de Recoletos 23
- fundacionmapfre.org
‘A cry of freedom’ offers a new reading of Marc Chagall’s expansive oeuvre that highlights his relentless optimism and wish for world peace in the face of two world wars during his lifetime.
Julia | Jaume Plensa
- Plaza Colon
- fundacioncristinamasaveu.com
This towering volume of the statue ‘Julia’ is juxtaposed by her serene, delicate facial features, inviting us too to close our eyes and take a moment of repose and reflection in this busy city.
The Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson
- Alcalá Galiano 6
- fundacioncristinamasaveu.com
The richness of this building is unmatched. Wood paneled from floor to ceiling, and a special collection of classical icons. The street art collection in the basement is a real surprise.
Art Fix Tip: “The courtyard of Silence” by Jaume Plensa alone is worth the visit to this collection. This sculpture is visible from the ground and first floor. A 14-metre-high sculpture created by the artist especially for this space.
Cerámica Suro | Fundación Casa de México en España
- Until 16 Jun ‘24
- Calle de Víctor Manuel III 18
- casademexico.es
Dive into the history of the Suro ceramics factory – but tread lightly, because these works are fragile.
GALLERIES
Art Fix Tip: For an overview of contemporary art galleries in Madrid, download this app while you’re there: artemadrid.com If you’re looking to cut straight to the chase, here’s our favourite galleries in the city centre.
Carlos Pesudo | YUSTO / GINER
- Until 30 Apr ‘24
- Calle Barquillo 25
- yusto-giner.com
These electric abstract paintings remind of the chatter and clatter of bars and nights spent dancing into the early hours of the morning; social encounters that have acted as a muse for the Spanish artist in the exhibition ‘El Guateque’.
Jorge Eielson | Travesía Cuatro
- Until 27 Apr ‘24
- Calle de San Mateo 16
- travesiacuatro.com
Peruvian artist Jorge Eielson explores shamanism and mythology in this thought-provoking exhibition.
Yasumasa Morimura | Galería Juana de Aizpuru
- 24 May – 19 Jul ‘24
- Calle Barquillo 44, 1º
- juanadeaizpuru.es
Japanese portrait artist Yasumasa Morimura takes famous faces we’ve all seen, and turns your expectations of them upside-down.
LaBOLA | Max Estrella
- Online exhibition
- Santo Tomé 6, patio
- maxestrella.com
Can’t make it to Spain this year? Take a virtual tour of this fascinating online exhibition that showcases the transdisciplinary performance and video artist’s most recent performance work at the iconic Museo del Prado in July of 2023.
Anne Berning | Espacio Minímo
- Calle Doctor Fourquet 17
- espaciominimo.es
Presenting its fifth solo exhibition of German artist Anne Berning entitled ‘Ich Weiss Nicht’ (I don’t know). Well, there is one thing we do know: you’ll love these wonderfully atmospheric oil paintings and ceramic sculptures!
RESTAURANTS & BARS
Entre Santos
- Calle de San Bartolomé 4
- entresantos.es
The perfect end to an art-filled day with a specialty cocktail at this lively bar!
Chocolatería San Ginés
- Pasadizo de San Ginés 5
- chocolateriasangines.com
Pit stop for the best ‘chocolate con churros’ in all of Spain.
Brasserie Dani | Four Seasons Hotel
- Calle de Sevilla 3
- danibrasserie.com
For the perfect sundowner with stunning 360-degree views of the city.
Ana La Santa
- Plaza de Santa Ana 14
- grupotragaluz.com
Understated, yet refined and elegant modern dining on one of our favorite squares.
Bar Tomate
- Fernando El Santo 26
- grupotragaluz.com
Para compartir: the Pekin duck style “tacos” and tuna tartare with guacamole and crunchy yuca. The wood oven pizza’s are the best in town!
Bosco de Lobos
- Architecture School, Hortaleza 63
- grupotragaluz.com
Hidden in the Madrid Architecture Association: the perfect Italian restaurant.
Restaurant Castelados
- Calle de Antonio Acuña 18
- castelados.com
What better place to enjoy delectable Spanish seafood cuisine?
Sala de Despiece
- Calle de Ponzano 11
- english.saladedespiece.com
This unsuspecting butcher shop is actually an upscale tapas bar.
Taquería Mi Ciudad
- Calle de las Hileras 5
- taqueriamiciudad.com
The best tacos in town. Our tip: don’t sleep on the spicy Margaritas.
Cappuccino Madrid
- Plaza de la Independencia n5
- capuccinograndcafe.es
Perfect for a quick caffeine pitstop along your gallery-hopping afternoon.
PAST SHOWS
ARCO
- Until 10 Mar ‘24
- Avda. del Partenón 5
- ifema.es
Celebrating its 43rd anniversary, ARCO Madrid brought together over 200 galleries from 36 countries around the world under the theme ‘The shore, the tide, the current: an oceanic Caribbean.’
Our top ten art works at Arco.
UVNT Art Fair
- Until 10 Mar
- Pl. de Legazpi 8
- urvanity-art.com
This art fair has recently made a name for itself as an integral part of Madrid Art Week provocative art world newcomers. This year they moved to the inspiring Matadero, Madrid’s former cattle market.
Art Madrid
- Until 10 Mar ‘24
- C. de Montalbán 1
- art-madrid.com
Comparatively, Art Madrid is a smaller and newer art fair – but it packs a mighty punch. Hosted in the historic Galería de Cristal, this event is important not to miss if you’re interested in affordable art.
Andrés Reisinger | A&G Banca Privada
- Until 31 Mar ‘24
- Paseo de la Castellana 92
- instagram.com
Feast your eyes on this majestic drapery – Argentine digital artist has adorned the A&G headquarters in Madrid with his latest creation until the end of the month.
Ulla von Brandenburg | Palacio de Velázquez
- Until 10 Mar ‘24
- Retiro Park
- museoreinasofia.es
Delicately tiptoeing the line of art and theatre, Ulla von Brandenburg’s installations have transformed the Palacio de Velázquez using drapery and curtains that pull you into performance.
Juan Gopar | Galería Álvaro Alcázar
- Until 16 Mar ‘24
- Calle Ferrer del Río 5
- galeriaalwaroalcazar.com
‘La Isla Taller’ shows this artist’s profound connection to his home, the island of Lanzarote, through a symbiotic interaction between mixed media paintings and found-object sculptures.
