Golden Triangle of Art

The Golden Triangle of Art in Madrid is the informal name for the cluster of three major museums in central Madrid: the Prado, the Reina Sofía, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza. This grouping concentrates Spain’s principal public and private national collections of European and modern art in a compact area.

The Prado contains European painting and sculpture from the medieval period through the 19th century and opened in 1819. The Reina Sofía focuses on 20th-century and contemporary art and houses Picasso’s Guernica. The Thyssen-Bornemisza displays a private collection that fills gaps between the other two institutions, ranging from Renaissance works to modernism.

Together the three museums offer a broad sweep of Western art history and are often visited over successive days. Galleries, temporary exhibitions and permanent highlights make the triangle one of Madrid’s principal cultural destinations.

The cluster sits along the Paseo del Prado and Paseo del Recoletos in central Madrid, adjacent to landmarks such as Atocha railway station and the Paseo del Prado greenways.

• Walking distance cluster: The three museums are concentrated along Paseo del Prado and Paseo del Recoletos in central Madrid, forming a compact cultural cluster that can be visited on foot over a day or two.
• Key artwork: Picasso's Guernica at the Reina Sofía is a principal draw; check museum display information as large works are in fixed galleries and can be crowded at peak times.

What to See #

• Prado Museum: The Museo Nacional del Prado houses a core collection of European paintings and sculptures from the 12th to the 19th centuries; it opened in 1819 and is especially noted for works by Velázquez, Goya and El Greco.
• Reina Sofía Museum: The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía is Spain's national museum of 20th-century art; it opened in its current form in 1992 and contains Picasso's Guernica (1937) among other modern works.
• Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum: The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum holds a large private collection spanning from early Old Masters to 20th-century modernism; the collection was opened to the public in Madrid in 1992 and complements the other two museums.