Housed in a restored 16th-century palace in the centre of Malaga, the Carmen Thyssen Museum holds one of the finest collections of 19th-century Spanish painting on public display. Its focus is firmly on Andalusian art, set in the city where the painter Pablo Picasso was born. The collection was assembled by Carmen Cervera, the Baroness Thyssen-Bornemisza, who built her own holdings separately from the famous family collection now in Madrid. After a long search for a home, the works were placed in Malaga on a long-term loan. The museum opened in March 2011 in the Palacio de Villalon, a noble Renaissance building that had fallen into disrepair and was rebuilt for the purpose, with new exhibition wings added alongside the restored palace and its colonnaded courtyard. During the works on the site, remains of the Roman city were uncovered beneath the building, a reminder of the deep layers of history under this part of the old town. The permanent display of more than two hundred works traces the main currents of 19th-century Spanish art, from romantic landscapes and scenes of everyday Andalusian life through to the move towards modern painting in the early 20th century. Among the artists represented are Joaquin Sorolla, Ignacio Zuloaga and Julio Romero de Torres, while an older highlight is a painting of Saint Marina by the master Francisco de Zurbaran. The galleries are arranged by theme across the floors of the building, with separate spaces given over to changing temporary exhibitions that draw on the collection and on loans from elsewhere. The museum is one of several that have helped turn Malaga into a notable art city in recent decades, complementing the Picasso museum and other galleries within the compact historic centre. The museum lies a short walk from the cathedral and the Picasso birthplace, in the network of pedestrian streets that make up the historic centre.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: Calle Compania, 10, Málaga, Spain, 29008

Website: https://www.carmenthyssenmalaga.org

Opening Date: 24/03/2011