Madrid's 800-Year Textbook of Western Painting

At a Glance

The Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza on Madrid's Paseo del Prado shows 1,600 works tracing 800 years of Western painting. Spain's government bought the Thyssen family collection in 1993 for US$350 million.

A Family's Legacy

Baron Heinrich started collecting in Lugano in 1927; his son Hans Heinrich expanded into American Abstract Expressionism and Pop. The Spanish connection came through his wife Carmen "Tita" Cervera.

Must-See

• Holbein's Henry VIII (1534–36).
• Caravaggio's Saint Catherine (1598–99).
• Munch's Three Girls on a Bridge; Van Gogh and Renoir.
• Edward Hopper's Hotel Room, Pollock, Lichtenstein.
• Early Flemish panels.

Visiting Tips

Banco de España metro. €13; free Mon 12–16. 2.5 hours. Paseo del Arte Pass covers the three major museums.