Featured Events in Madrid in April, 2025 (April Updated)

A Life in a Few Lines marks the first major European retrospective of the Lebanese-born artist Huguette Caland (Beirut, 1931–2019), whose life and work spanned decades, continents and media, challenging the aesthetic and social conventions of her time. Featuring approximately 300 drawings, paintings, sculptures and work in other media, as well as documentary ephemera, the exhibition weaves a new narrative around Caland’s practice, questioning perceptions of her cosmopolitan rootlessness to show an artist deeply connected to community, communication and the idea of home. It also reveals her defiance of social and sexual norms in work that explores notions of gender, the body, belonging, love, aging and personhood, all of which is set against the broader geopolitical currents of a decolonising and neoliberalising world.

A Life in a Few Lines marks the first major European retrospective of the Lebanese-born artist Huguette Caland (Beirut, 1931–2019), whose life and work spanned decades, continents and media, challenging the aesthetic and social conventions of her time. Featuring approximately 300 drawings, paintings, sculptures and work in other media, as well as documentary ephemera, the exhibition weaves a new narrative around Caland’s practice, questioning perceptions of her cosmopolitan rootlessness to show an artist deeply connected to community, communication and the idea of home. It also reveals her defiance of social and sexual norms in work that explores notions of gender, the body, belonging, love, aging and personhood, all of which is set against the broader geopolitical currents of a decolonising and neoliberalising world.

The museum presents for the first time in its entirety in Madrid the set of works of Francesco Guardi belonging to the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, thanks to a collaboration agreement between the two institutions. With a total of 18 oils and a drawing, he is the artist best represented in this collection of more than 6,000 pieces of art assembled by financier Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian (1869-1955), which, since 1969, has been exhibited in the museum that bears his name in Lisbon. Along with Guardi's paintings, acquired between 1907 and 1921, a drawing of the same artist, incorporated in 2002, and an oil from his son Giacomo, is shown. The works are dated between 1765 and 1791 and illustrate iconic places in Venice, such as the Rialto Bridge or the Ducal Palace, festivals such as the Ascension, the surroundings of the city and some whims, belonging at the end of his career. After an initial stage in which he served mainly as a painter of history, religious themes, frescoes and even still lifes, Guardi began to paint views of his city, first following the precise style of his predecessor Canaletto to then add vitality and illusion to his compositions. After the death of Canaletto in 1768, he became the most important vedutist in Venice.

The exhibition Marina Vargas: Revelations is part of the Kora cycle, with which the museum proposes to give visibility to works carried out by women artists of the current scene with a gender perspective. For this exhibition, Marina Vargas (Granada, 1980) has carried out a research project around the silence of women throughout history, especially in relation to the sacred and the spiritual, a topic that he has already dealt with in previous works and whose objective now is to reveal his extensive contributions. From the figure of Mary Magdalene, studied by feminist theologians such as Karen King (Harvard University), Cynthia Bourgeault (University of Pennsylvania) or Meggan Watterson (University of Columbia), Vargas traces a tour that explores the figure of women in the history of art, in the imagery, but also in the sacred story, from his biography and personal experience, with a current perspective that seeks to break the silence through which the patriarchal system has relegated them to asecond place. Revelations show the hidden through newly created works that will be presented for the first time in this exhibition.

The majlis is the traditional hospitality space in Arab and North African houses, the place where guests and travelers are welcomed, offering them shelter and cohabitation. Hospitality is also the central proposal of the exhibition that Lebanese artist and composer Tarek Atoui (Beirut, 1980) presents at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, in collaboration with TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary. It is called At-Triq, which means "the one who comes from the night" or "the star of the morning," and is part of a long-term research project on the rural musical traditions of the Arab world on sub-Saharan pilgrimage and trade routes.Atoui shows in the museum the first chapter of his proposal, with which he approaches the Tamazgha, the North African territories inhabited by the Amazigh or Berber people, source and deposit of musical, artistic, artisanal and intellectual traditions. After two years of exchange with musicians and artisans from the Moroccan Atlas region and other nearby areas, the artist presents a space of poetic hospitality - composed around the majlis, a place that welcomes, receives and resonates, while generating a multiplicity of affinities and experiences.In At-Triq, music is the protagonist and becomes itself an act of hospitality. Through intertwined textures and materials, this sound installation invites visitors to inhabit the thresholds between the traditional and the contemporary, the familiar and the unknown, revealing the nomadic inclinations present in these affinities.

The museum presents an exhibition on the importance that art had in the work of one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, Marcel Proust (Auteuil, 1871 - Paris, 1922), recognized in both literature and philosophy and art theory. The aesthetic ideas that Proust develops in his work, the artistic, monumental and landscape environments that surrounded him and that he recreates in his books, as well as the contemporary artists or the past that served as a stimulus are some of the aspects that articulate the tour of the exhibition. The aim is to highlight this link and the interrelation between art and its figure, its life and its work. To understand Proust it is important to know the Paris in which he lived, that is, the cosmopolitan and rich capital of the Third Republic, his great transformation after the urban reforms of Baron Hausmann, with the appearance of electricity, cars, shows, restaurants and cafes. Proust was fascinated not only by the arts, but of that modernity so booming in the late 19th century. The image of the modern that the Impressionist painters created through their representation of the streets and other environments of Paris is at the basis of the propolitan aesthetic: all this would mark his biography and also his writings.

The Palacio de Cristal has traditionally been a space where artists are commissioned to work on a new piece conceived specifically for its unique architecture. Although the restoration and repair work currently being carried out on its structure means visitors cannot access its interior, the programme held within to support the public display of current art continues all the same. In fact, it is the radical imagination of artists that will enable the Museo Reina Sofía to continue to endow this emblematic space with cultural content. The first such artist to take part in this series is Miguel Ángel Tornero (Baeza, 1978), who contributes with a work devised for the canvases which will cover the building during its first year of restoration work.

The Palacio de Cristal has traditionally been a space where artists are commissioned to work on a new piece conceived specifically for its unique architecture. Although the restoration and repair work currently being carried out on its structure means visitors cannot access its interior, the programme held within to support the public display of current art continues all the same. In fact, it is the radical imagination of artists that will enable the Museo Reina Sofía to continue to endow this emblematic space with cultural content. The first such artist to take part in this series is Miguel Ángel Tornero (Baeza, 1978), who contributes with a work devised for the canvases which will cover the building during its first year of restoration work.

The Palacio de Cristal has traditionally been a space where artists are commissioned to work on a new piece conceived specifically for its unique architecture. Although the restoration and repair work currently being carried out on its structure means visitors cannot access its interior, the programme held within to support the public display of current art continues all the same. In fact, it is the radical imagination of artists that will enable the Museo Reina Sofía to continue to endow this emblematic space with cultural content. The first such artist to take part in this series is Miguel Ángel Tornero (Baeza, 1978), who contributes with a work devised for the canvases which will cover the building during its first year of restoration work.

The Palacio de Cristal has traditionally been a space where artists are commissioned to work on a new piece conceived specifically for its unique architecture. Although the restoration and repair work currently being carried out on its structure means visitors cannot access its interior, the programme held within to support the public display of current art continues all the same. In fact, it is the radical imagination of artists that will enable the Museo Reina Sofía to continue to endow this emblematic space with cultural content. The first such artist to take part in this series is Miguel Ángel Tornero (Baeza, 1978), who contributes with a work devised for the canvases which will cover the building during its first year of restoration work.

The museum presents for the first time in its entirety in Madrid the set of works of Francesco Guardi belonging to the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, thanks to a collaboration agreement between the two institutions. With a total of 18 oils and a drawing, he is the artist best represented in this collection of more than 6,000 pieces of art assembled by financier Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian (1869-1955), which, since 1969, has been exhibited in the museum that bears his name in Lisbon. Along with Guardi's paintings, acquired between 1907 and 1921, a drawing of the same artist, incorporated in 2002, and an oil from his son Giacomo, is shown. The works are dated between 1765 and 1791 and illustrate iconic places in Venice, such as the Rialto Bridge or the Ducal Palace, festivals such as the Ascension, the surroundings of the city and some whims, belonging at the end of his career. After an initial stage in which he served mainly as a painter of history, religious themes, frescoes and even still lifes, Guardi began to paint views of his city, first following the precise style of his predecessor Canaletto to then add vitality and illusion to his compositions. After the death of Canaletto in 1768, he became the most important vedutist in Venice.

The museum presents for the first time in its entirety in Madrid the set of works of Francesco Guardi belonging to the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, thanks to a collaboration agreement between the two institutions. With a total of 18 oils and a drawing, he is the artist best represented in this collection of more than 6,000 pieces of art assembled by financier Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian (1869-1955), which, since 1969, has been exhibited in the museum that bears his name in Lisbon. Along with Guardi's paintings, acquired between 1907 and 1921, a drawing of the same artist, incorporated in 2002, and an oil from his son Giacomo, is shown. The works are dated between 1765 and 1791 and illustrate iconic places in Venice, such as the Rialto Bridge or the Ducal Palace, festivals such as the Ascension, the surroundings of the city and some whims, belonging at the end of his career. After an initial stage in which he served mainly as a painter of history, religious themes, frescoes and even still lifes, Guardi began to paint views of his city, first following the precise style of his predecessor Canaletto to then add vitality and illusion to his compositions. After the death of Canaletto in 1768, he became the most important vedutist in Venice.

The exhibition Marina Vargas: Revelations is part of the Kora cycle, with which the museum proposes to give visibility to works carried out by women artists of the current scene with a gender perspective. For this exhibition, Marina Vargas (Granada, 1980) has carried out a research project around the silence of women throughout history, especially in relation to the sacred and the spiritual, a topic that he has already dealt with in previous works and whose objective now is to reveal his extensive contributions. From the figure of Mary Magdalene, studied by feminist theologians such as Karen King (Harvard University), Cynthia Bourgeault (University of Pennsylvania) or Meggan Watterson (University of Columbia), Vargas traces a tour that explores the figure of women in the history of art, in the imagery, but also in the sacred story, from his biography and personal experience, with a current perspective that seeks to break the silence through which the patriarchal system has relegated them to asecond place. Revelations show the hidden through newly created works that will be presented for the first time in this exhibition.

The exhibition Marina Vargas: Revelations is part of the Kora cycle, with which the museum proposes to give visibility to works carried out by women artists of the current scene with a gender perspective. For this exhibition, Marina Vargas (Granada, 1980) has carried out a research project around the silence of women throughout history, especially in relation to the sacred and the spiritual, a topic that he has already dealt with in previous works and whose objective now is to reveal his extensive contributions. From the figure of Mary Magdalene, studied by feminist theologians such as Karen King (Harvard University), Cynthia Bourgeault (University of Pennsylvania) or Meggan Watterson (University of Columbia), Vargas traces a tour that explores the figure of women in the history of art, in the imagery, but also in the sacred story, from his biography and personal experience, with a current perspective that seeks to break the silence through which the patriarchal system has relegated them to asecond place. Revelations show the hidden through newly created works that will be presented for the first time in this exhibition.

The majlis is the traditional hospitality space in Arab and North African houses, the place where guests and travelers are welcomed, offering them shelter and cohabitation. Hospitality is also the central proposal of the exhibition that Lebanese artist and composer Tarek Atoui (Beirut, 1980) presents at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, in collaboration with TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary. It is called At-Triq, which means "the one who comes from the night" or "the star of the morning," and is part of a long-term research project on the rural musical traditions of the Arab world on sub-Saharan pilgrimage and trade routes.Atoui shows in the museum the first chapter of his proposal, with which he approaches the Tamazgha, the North African territories inhabited by the Amazigh or Berber people, source and deposit of musical, artistic, artisanal and intellectual traditions. After two years of exchange with musicians and artisans from the Moroccan Atlas region and other nearby areas, the artist presents a space of poetic hospitality - composed around the majlis, a place that welcomes, receives and resonates, while generating a multiplicity of affinities and experiences.In At-Triq, music is the protagonist and becomes itself an act of hospitality. Through intertwined textures and materials, this sound installation invites visitors to inhabit the thresholds between the traditional and the contemporary, the familiar and the unknown, revealing the nomadic inclinations present in these affinities.

The majlis is the traditional hospitality space in Arab and North African houses, the place where guests and travelers are welcomed, offering them shelter and cohabitation. Hospitality is also the central proposal of the exhibition that Lebanese artist and composer Tarek Atoui (Beirut, 1980) presents at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, in collaboration with TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary. It is called At-Triq, which means "the one who comes from the night" or "the star of the morning," and is part of a long-term research project on the rural musical traditions of the Arab world on sub-Saharan pilgrimage and trade routes.Atoui shows in the museum the first chapter of his proposal, with which he approaches the Tamazgha, the North African territories inhabited by the Amazigh or Berber people, source and deposit of musical, artistic, artisanal and intellectual traditions. After two years of exchange with musicians and artisans from the Moroccan Atlas region and other nearby areas, the artist presents a space of poetic hospitality - composed around the majlis, a place that welcomes, receives and resonates, while generating a multiplicity of affinities and experiences.In At-Triq, music is the protagonist and becomes itself an act of hospitality. Through intertwined textures and materials, this sound installation invites visitors to inhabit the thresholds between the traditional and the contemporary, the familiar and the unknown, revealing the nomadic inclinations present in these affinities.

The majlis is the traditional hospitality space in Arab and North African houses, the place where guests and travelers are welcomed, offering them shelter and cohabitation. Hospitality is also the central proposal of the exhibition that Lebanese artist and composer Tarek Atoui (Beirut, 1980) presents at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, in collaboration with TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary. It is called At-Triq, which means "the one who comes from the night" or "the star of the morning," and is part of a long-term research project on the rural musical traditions of the Arab world on sub-Saharan pilgrimage and trade routes.Atoui shows in the museum the first chapter of his proposal, with which he approaches the Tamazgha, the North African territories inhabited by the Amazigh or Berber people, source and deposit of musical, artistic, artisanal and intellectual traditions. After two years of exchange with musicians and artisans from the Moroccan Atlas region and other nearby areas, the artist presents a space of poetic hospitality - composed around the majlis, a place that welcomes, receives and resonates, while generating a multiplicity of affinities and experiences.In At-Triq, music is the protagonist and becomes itself an act of hospitality. Through intertwined textures and materials, this sound installation invites visitors to inhabit the thresholds between the traditional and the contemporary, the familiar and the unknown, revealing the nomadic inclinations present in these affinities.

The majlis is the traditional hospitality space in Arab and North African houses, the place where guests and travelers are welcomed, offering them shelter and cohabitation. Hospitality is also the central proposal of the exhibition that Lebanese artist and composer Tarek Atoui (Beirut, 1980) presents at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, in collaboration with TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary. It is called At-Triq, which means "the one who comes from the night" or "the star of the morning," and is part of a long-term research project on the rural musical traditions of the Arab world on sub-Saharan pilgrimage and trade routes.Atoui shows in the museum the first chapter of his proposal, with which he approaches the Tamazgha, the North African territories inhabited by the Amazigh or Berber people, source and deposit of musical, artistic, artisanal and intellectual traditions. After two years of exchange with musicians and artisans from the Moroccan Atlas region and other nearby areas, the artist presents a space of poetic hospitality - composed around the majlis, a place that welcomes, receives and resonates, while generating a multiplicity of affinities and experiences.In At-Triq, music is the protagonist and becomes itself an act of hospitality. Through intertwined textures and materials, this sound installation invites visitors to inhabit the thresholds between the traditional and the contemporary, the familiar and the unknown, revealing the nomadic inclinations present in these affinities.

A Life in a Few Lines marks the first major European retrospective of the Lebanese-born artist Huguette Caland (Beirut, 1931–2019), whose life and work spanned decades, continents and media, challenging the aesthetic and social conventions of her time. Featuring approximately 300 drawings, paintings, sculptures and work in other media, as well as documentary ephemera, the exhibition weaves a new narrative around Caland’s practice, questioning perceptions of her cosmopolitan rootlessness to show an artist deeply connected to community, communication and the idea of home. It also reveals her defiance of social and sexual norms in work that explores notions of gender, the body, belonging, love, aging and personhood, all of which is set against the broader geopolitical currents of a decolonising and neoliberalising world.

A Life in a Few Lines marks the first major European retrospective of the Lebanese-born artist Huguette Caland (Beirut, 1931–2019), whose life and work spanned decades, continents and media, challenging the aesthetic and social conventions of her time. Featuring approximately 300 drawings, paintings, sculptures and work in other media, as well as documentary ephemera, the exhibition weaves a new narrative around Caland’s practice, questioning perceptions of her cosmopolitan rootlessness to show an artist deeply connected to community, communication and the idea of home. It also reveals her defiance of social and sexual norms in work that explores notions of gender, the body, belonging, love, aging and personhood, all of which is set against the broader geopolitical currents of a decolonising and neoliberalising world.

A Life in a Few Lines marks the first major European retrospective of the Lebanese-born artist Huguette Caland (Beirut, 1931–2019), whose life and work spanned decades, continents and media, challenging the aesthetic and social conventions of her time. Featuring approximately 300 drawings, paintings, sculptures and work in other media, as well as documentary ephemera, the exhibition weaves a new narrative around Caland’s practice, questioning perceptions of her cosmopolitan rootlessness to show an artist deeply connected to community, communication and the idea of home. It also reveals her defiance of social and sexual norms in work that explores notions of gender, the body, belonging, love, aging and personhood, all of which is set against the broader geopolitical currents of a decolonising and neoliberalising world.

A Life in a Few Lines marks the first major European retrospective of the Lebanese-born artist Huguette Caland (Beirut, 1931–2019), whose life and work spanned decades, continents and media, challenging the aesthetic and social conventions of her time. Featuring approximately 300 drawings, paintings, sculptures and work in other media, as well as documentary ephemera, the exhibition weaves a new narrative around Caland’s practice, questioning perceptions of her cosmopolitan rootlessness to show an artist deeply connected to community, communication and the idea of home. It also reveals her defiance of social and sexual norms in work that explores notions of gender, the body, belonging, love, aging and personhood, all of which is set against the broader geopolitical currents of a decolonising and neoliberalising world.

Hello Everyone is a large-scale installation that brings together works by Léa Estrucci (Barcelona, ​​1981) from 2011 to the present day. These works incorporate formal variations, constituting a fragmented and echoing archive that includes sculptures, sounds, moving images, graphic works and visual scores. Overall, it can be seen as both a retrospective and a navigable warehouse.

Hello Everyone is a large-scale installation that brings together works by Léa Estrucci (Barcelona, ​​1981) from 2011 to the present day. These works incorporate formal variations, constituting a fragmented and echoing archive that includes sculptures, sounds, moving images, graphic works and visual scores. Overall, it can be seen as both a retrospective and a navigable warehouse.