Happy 2020! Perhaps you’re one of the many people who have made various resolutions to start the year afresh and become a better version of yourself. Is one of your resolutions to increase your cultural knowledge and take full advantage of the art offered by this great city? Even if you’re not the resolution type and you’re just looking for some guidance in terms of where to find out more about art in Madrid, never fear! We’re here to guide you to the relevant information.

1. EsMadrid

Now let’s say you don’t speak Spanish. In that case, your best choice to find information about art in English in Madrid is from the Art and Culture section of Madrid’s official tourism website, EsMadrid. In addition to English and Spanish, this site is available in 7 other languages, including Japanese and Russian. Now one of its great pluses is that it breaks down the various tourist passes available like the Paseo del Arte Pass which grants the holder one visit to the permanent collection of each of the city’s main museums, the Prado, The Reina Sofia and the Thyssen-Bornemisza. This pass is great for visitors who are just in the city for a short while and who only want to dive into the big ticket sites but there are other passes which give you access to more museums for periods such as ten to fifteen days for the consummate art lover.

EsMadrid’s great strength is the breadth of its scope – it covers cultural centres to exhibition halls to house museums and contains the most pertinent information at a glance, including the location, price, opening hours and best transport options. And if you want a great overview of Madrid’s art offerings, be sure to take a gander at the Art in Madrid Guide PDF which is an unbeatable introduction to both the leading museums and their holdings as well as some of the lesser known but just as formative art centres like the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, just off of Sol. 

2. Time Out Madrid

Now if you’re looking for information that is a bit more curated, don’t miss Time Out Madrid. While the English version of their website is not quite as comprehensive as the Spanish one, there are still a number of articles, which are constantly updated, highlighting the most popular, current exhibitions, free art, street art and graffiti as well as the city’s most celebrated paintings and museums.

Time Out is an incredibly well-known and versatile publication with branches all over the world and it has even recently launched a print magazine here in Madrid which releases monthly. You can often find the print magazine being given out for free at major metro stations just after release, or later, in trendy cafes, independent bookshops and some libraries. I would highly recommend grabbing a copy if you can because it goes into even more detail of certain expositions and features some recommendations and interviews which are exclusive to the magazine. 

3. Madrid Diferente

Continuing on to Spanish-language recommendations, another favourite is Madrid Diferente. Similar to Time Out Madrid, Madrid Diferente publishes a weekly agenda of things to do over the entire upcoming week, not just the weekend. Their picks are often eclectic and a little bit off the beaten path. I almost always discover some activity or event that I’ve never heard of before and that is only happening for just this weekend and that’s why I try to check every Thursday because you don’t want to miss out!

Madrid has so much to offer it can be overwhelming but here you have a streamlined list of options. Now, if you check their “Es Capital” section, you will be exposed to a host of activities and spaces that are intimate and rewarding like Madrid’s smallest photo gallery or a self-guided tour of Madrid’s most unusual, outdoor sculptures. And if you want to kill two birds with one stone, Madrid Diferente’s writers have recently begun including suggestions for recommended restaurants or cafes near to the gallery or museum they’re currently highlighting. A win win, in my book! 

4. Madrid Free

Perhaps your number one New Year’s resolution is to sort out your finances and you’re afraid that this is all sounding very expensive. Well, did you know that there’s a website dedicated solely to free cultural activities in Madrid? It’s called Madrid Free and it has a dedicated section for Expositions which is updated frequently. It also covers exhibitions from contemporary art galleries as well as the ones from museums and cultural centres like CentroCentro Cibeles and the Matadero. If you want even more up to the minute information on free activities, be sure to also follow them on Facebook if you have it because they update it often. 

5. Arte Informado

So if you want the absolute, most comprehensive list of temporary art offerings in the city, look no further than Arte Informado. This is basically a holy grail for art lovers as this website aims to serve almost every country in the Iberian-American space and includes a magazine, art courses and art prizes. However, even if you just want to know about art expositions, they compile those too with an incredible search engine that allows you to narrow down your choices by date, city or country and even specify the type of art.

At this very moment, if you search for exhibitions in Madrid, narrowing it down no further, it shows 19,787 exhibitions available. You can’t deny – that’s a lot of art. If that sounds like a bit much, Arte Informado also has a weekly newsletter which you can sign up for that delivers some of the most prominent exhibits right into your mailbox. 

6. Museo del Prado’s Instagram account

If you want your Instagram experience to be more positive and enlightening, follow the Museo del Prado’s official account: @museoprado. Every weekday morning, they do an Instagram Live video highlighting either an art work or a room of the museum, which is then left up for the rest of the day so you can check it out when you can. Additionally, in their posts, they often share videos showing the mounting of exhibits as well as other day-to-day aspects of working and running a major museum. It’s a fantastic, accessible way to flesh out your art history knowledge.

7. Madrid Art and Culture Facebook group

Finally if you’d like to get more of my insight into Madrid’s cultural goings-on, feel free to join my Facebook group, Madrid Art and Culture, which is meant to showcase the many different sides of this city, although it is quite heavy on art and film. I created it about a year and a half ago and the group now has just over 1400 members with frequent posts about film festivals, art exhibits, plays and much more. Furthermore, as it’s a Facebook group, all members are able to post about activities and events that interest them or that they are taking part in.

I hope I’ve given you the tools to hit the ground running this year when it comes to art. To a culturally enriching 2020!

By Kristen Wiltshire (IG: @makidocious)

When she’s not at a museum or the movies, Kristen can usually be found trying to make headway in her giant pile of books or her miles long Netflix queue. She also runs Madrid Art and Culture, a Facebook group dedicated to Madrid’s myriad cultural offerings.

Soft lights. Greens. Pastels and contemporary art. Not something you expect of a hair and styling salon! Thus you’re greeted by a surprise which then transforms into an inexplicable comfort – a place as delightful and friendly as its kind and charismatic owners.

As you walk in, you have the beautiful exhibit of contemporary artist Tomas Gracia. This particular one has been designed around the concept of chaos seeking its own natural order.

The more you reflect on it, the more lost you seem. Lines and hues seem to be in search of their own destinies. Maybe that’s the exact point of the exhibit – to have your internal chaos muse over the edgy lines and vibrant tones of Tomas’ artwork.

The exhibits are temporary and will include all categories of art and literature in the future, they tell me. The open patio will also house many interesting events.

The area of the salon is beautifully decorated with lively greens and flowery tones, immediately transporting you into a spring-like feeling. The collection of books on display and the smell of freshly-brewed coffee add to the urbanism of the ambience. 

The serene patio at the end, of course, completes the place beautifully.

As distinct as its name, Ara Crinis (which literally translates from Latin into ‘a beautiful lock of hair’) is the delightful service and experience you receive here. The salon works with the concept of aromatherapy and organics around every service they offer. The cherry on top are the very artful Neo and Carlo, who are the heart of the place.

Hop on over either for a walk around their artful decor, a pleasant cup of coffee with the owners, an exhibit of the next talented artist of the month or an indulgent hair experience – this little spot in Chueca is unlikely to disappoint.

By Arabdha Sudhir

Photos by Carlo Calzolari

Ara Crinis

• Website Facebook & Instagram: @ara.crinis
• Address: Calle San Lorenzo, 5
• Metro: Tribunal or Alonso Martínez

If you’ve ever spent an evening watching the sunset with a liter of Mahou in Parque Las Vistillas (and if you haven’t, get on that ASAP), you may have spotted this beautiful, borderline-creepy cocktail bar, María Pandora.

Cryptic, dripping golden letters read MARÍA PANDORA, and the sound of a dramatic poetry reading demand the curiosity of passersby not yet in the know.

Once inside, you’ll already be hooked: every inch of the walls is covered with sinister sketches, the tables are adorned with misshapen melted candles, and vintage furniture adds the finishing touch to make you feel like you’re in a haunted mansion.

But despite the ghoulish vibe, the servers here are cheery and chatty. When we ordered champagne and white wine, our server plopped a frozen raspberry in our glass, assuring it would add a little somethin’-somethin’.

Oh, and the tapas here are my kind of food: mounds of candy and fruit.

But the best it yet to come. A meeting point for lovers of art, the bar also functions as a stage for poetry readings, microteatro, and literary chats several nights of the week. The wall of antique books are for sale (but the century-old portraits of the owner’s family are not).

Sign up for an event, order a glass of bubbly, and if you get there early enough, grab a window seat. María Pandora does not disappoint.

*Just note that their opening hours can be a little funky – they tend to open at 7pm except on Mondays, although sometimes they throw private events. So it’s best to call ahead to make sure they’re open!

Info

• Website & Facebook
• Phone: +34 910 42 82 13
• Address: Plaza de Gabriel Miró, 1
• Metro: La Latina or Ópera

If you’re looking to explore Madrid’s museum scene beyond the famous Prado and Reina Sofia, I recommend starting with Los Cinco Museos, five former mansions that are all perfectly restored and house outstanding art collections: Cerralbo, Lázaro Galdiano, Artes Decorativas, Sorolla and Romanticismo.

These five museums take you on a journey to a different era, allowing you to see and feel what life might have been like when they were occupied. While each one is worth visiting, Museo Cerralbo is my personal favorite. I’ve been here twice – first on my own and then on a guided tour – and both times I was blown away by the museum’s special charm.

Tucked away on a side street near Plaza de España and Templo de Debod, this museum is one of the former residences of the Marquis of Cerralbo, who lived here with his family in the 19th century. Today, everything remains exactly in tact, from the furniture and art pieces to the wall colors and lighting.

As you walk through its many rooms and corridors, let your imagination run wild, picturing what life was like when this house was actually a home.

The Marquis was a well known archeologist and passionate art lover. He amassed a collection of art, furniture and objects from Spain and around the world that you can see in every nook and cranny. You’ll see beautiful paintings, mirrors, chandeliers and clocks dispersed throughout, and so much more.

The house has two floors. The first floor was where the family actually lived their normal lives, while the second floor is where you’ll find the extravagant ballroom and dining room, for example, that were meant to be shown off to guests.

Each particular room had a different purpose and decor, acting as a unique exhibition space. Here are a few examples.

The armor collection

After going up the gorgeous stairway (the house was actually designed to accommodate for a unique wooden banister), guests would step into the hallway displaying the Marquis’s armor collection. This is my favorite exhibit.

The ballroom

To the right of the armor collection you’ll find the stunning ballroom. I would certainly like to dance here one day…

As you can see, the Marquis was particularly fond of playing with lighting and mirrors to add as much depth to each room as possible. And not an inch of the house was left unadorned.

The library

The library features British-style decor and houses an impressive collection of books in several different languages, some dating back as far as the 15th century. Here you’ll also find one of the largest coin collections in Spain.

The billiard room

Right off the dining room you’ll find the billiard room. In that time, women weren’t expected to join in on the game, so there was a seating area designed just for them to watch as the men played.

Snapshots of more rooms and objects

There are so many little rooms and corridors to check out, each one providing a window into another era and giving your eyes plenty to marvel at. I don’t want to give away too much, so here are just a few more images to give you a glimpse of the Cerralbo Museum’s collection. But please don’t pass up the chance to see it in person!

Photography by Jose Luis Magaña from @asecond.art

Info

• Website, Facebook & Instagram
• I highly recommend booking a guided tour in English, Spanish or French
• Address: Calle Ventura Rodríguez, 17
• Hours: Tues–Sat 9:30am-3pm; Thursday also from 5-8pm; Sundays and holidays from 10am-3pm
• Metro: Plaza de España
• Los Cinco Museos pass: if you want to visit all five of these former mansions turned museums, you can purchase a €12 pass called Los Cinco Museos at any of their ticket offices. The pass gives you unlimited access to all five museums for 10 days, and after that you can enter on Saturdays with a plus one for the rest of the year.

You may also like:

• Madrid’s obvious and not-so-obvious museums (and how to get in for free!)

La Casa Encendida is hosting a book fair this weekend with presentations, workshops, discussions, musical performances, and more. This celebration of art and literature serves as a meetup for various independent editorial projects and is open to the public (and family friendly).

Café Barbieri first brought modernist charm to Madrid’s working class district, Lavapiés, in 1902, and although the barrio has evolved dramatically over the last 114 years, the interior of this elegant bar hasn’t changed one bit.

Some things have changed though – Café Barbieri is owned by a charismatic chap from New Delhi and staffed with bilingual youngthings. It also now has a small terrace, but this is not why you’d come here – its appeal is truly the interior.

The whole place is lined with mirrors which back then were a symbol of wealth. These mirrors are now aging well, stained a smoky bronze colour with dots of grey rust creeping in from the edges. The ceiling is framed with grids of ornate girders that are connected to decorative cast-iron beams, typical of older buildings in Lavapiés. Although never on, there are ceiling fans too – something increasingly rare in Madrid.

At the back of the bar is a grand piano on a small raised stage. Almost every evening there’s a live music session often featuring the piano, and this place does food too – typical Spanish stuff but with an edge.

The worn white marble table tops and red velvet seating lining the dining area mark this place out as opulent, but that’s really not the vibe – it’s chilled and cosy and attracts a spectrum of people, from the intrepid tourist who’s braved it down the hill, to the unassuming local who fancies a read of one of the papers on offer.

Café Barbieri by day

Café Barbieri’s beautiful ornate ceiling

The grand piano taking centre stage, and look at all those beautiful mirrors

Look at that original tiled floor!

The bar has a great selection of spirits & vermouth on tap

Café Barbieri by night

Café Barbieri is also on the same street as the Greek foodie place, Egeo, so there you have it, your night is planned!

Info

• C/Ave María 45
• Metro: Lavapiés
• Website Facebook

Ciento y Pico Market presents its Spring edition of the fashion, art and decoration event. Explore the latest trends of the spring so you know how to dress and what colors and designs to decorate your home with! This three day event is sure to get you into the springtime vibes!

Do you like bicycling or film? Then don’t miss the chance to combine the two in the Bicycle Film Festival in Madrid going on March 10-13. Get the chance to view shorts, documentaries, and full-length films. This festival has been going on for over 15 years so come out and celebrate the art of film while enjoying the world of bicycling!

Get a chance to look at some of the work from emerging young European artists at the Room Art Fair #5 happening February 26-28 at the Hotel Petit Palace Santa Bárbara. This international and independent exhibit aims to showcase art in an accessible manner that diminishes the barrier to the general public. Some of the artists include: Bolo Blas, Emo Díaz, Marcelo Fiedler, and Ms Nina.

This weekend, Malasaña’s spirit will invade Espacio Isla Barceló, a huge market and events space near Tribunal. Expect the venue to be full of clothing stands, food stalls, art, and much more.