The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía is named for Spain’s Queen Sofía, the wife of present King Juan Carlos I, and has hosted 20th Century art since it opened with its permanent collection in 1992. The focus is mainly on Spanish art, which might seem limiting, but when the list of Spanish artists includes names like Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró, one can't help but think of the Reina Sofía as a pretty serious museum.












Undoubtedly the most well-known painting in the museum is Picasso's Guernica, considered by many to be the most powerful anti-war statement ever committed to canvas and Picasso's masterpiece. It’s based on an episode from the Spanish Civil War in which the strategically-located Basque town of Guernica was subjected to aerial bombing by the German Condor Legion in response to a request by the commander of the Spanish Nationalist forces, Francisco Franco. Occurring on April 26, 1937, this was an opportunity for the German forces to practice a tactic to which they would return in later years, that of bombing civilian populations into submission. In this case the tactic worked, with great destruction and loss of life. At the time Picasso heard about the attack, he was working on a mural for the Paris International Exposition, and the news caused him to immediately discard what he was doing and start over.

After the Exposition the painting travelled the world, eventually ending up in the care of the New York Museum of Modern Art at Picasso's request. After Picasso's death in 1973 and Franco's in 1975, pressure arose to return the painting to Spain, and it finally went back in 1981. It was exhibited in the Prado Museum for a time (as requested in Picasso's will) but was moved to the Reina Sofía when it opened its permanent collection in 1992, as the new museum was thematically more appropriate. Rules for photographing the painting are on the strange side – it's fine to take photos of all the other works in the museum, but taking a picture of Guernica is forbidden. Unless you take the picture from the next room, through the doorway – they don't seem to mind that. The problem is that people are likely to be in the way.



The building housing the museum dates back to the 18th Century, when it was founded as a hospital by King Carlos III, replacing a 16th Century hospital founded by Philip II. Glass towers were added to its front in 1989.

From the Reina Sofía we got back on the Metro and returned to the hotel to rest up for the next day's exertions, which were to include a visit to the Prado and whatever else would occur to us as being a good idea.