Museo de Arte Moderno y Contemporáneo de Santander y Cantabria
Municipal museum in Santander, founded in 1908, with a collection of modern, contemporary and current art, including prints by Goya; free admission.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Museo de Arte Moderno y Contemporáneo de Santander y Cantabria, known as MAS, is a public institution owned by the municipality and depending on Santander City Council. It was founded in 1908 and since then has changed its orientation several times: it was a general museum between 1908 and 1947, a museum of local and regional art between 1947 and 1989, and since 1990 a museum specialising in modern, contemporary and current art, both national and international.
Its aim is to acquire, conserve, study, exhibit and disseminate its artistic heritage for the purposes of study, education and enjoyment, and to promote knowledge of the art of the 20th and 21st centuries. The museum defines itself as a place of encounter and debate, which takes special care of the creative talent of Cantabria and Santander without losing a national and international perspective.
The permanent collection is presented through a selective exhibition called “ExpoColección”, on the second and third floors, which is renewed with different narratives and mixes periods, artists and media. Among the holdings, the 97 prints by Goya from four different series stand out, which the museum restored a few years ago. After some refurbishment works, the museum reopened with a selection of its best works, and since 2016 it has had a friends' association, amigosMAS.
Highlights
- ExpoColección: selective display of the permanent collection
- Prints by Goya: 97 pieces from four series, restored
- Modern, contemporary and current art, with attention to art from Cantabria
- Works by modern and contemporary artists, national and international
- Free admission for all audiences
Permanent exhibition
- ExpoColección – Selective display from the museum's permanent collection, usually on the second and third floors, bringing together works of modern, contemporary and current art organised around different narratives.
- Founded
- 1908
- Operated by
- Ayuntamiento de Santander
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Free admission for all audiences.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
Guide dogs are admitted. Blind visitors may touch the works on display, which is not permitted for other visitors. The museum is on a pedestrian street.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Jesús de Monasterio / Ayuntamiento (autobús urbano) · 150 m
Almost all the Santander urban bus lines (TUS) stop nearby. The medium- and long-distance bus station is about 500 metres away (5 minutes on foot) and the train station (Renfe) about 650 metres away.
By car
Parking available · 250 m to the entrance
Three public car parks about 250 metres away: Esperanza, Ayuntamiento and Jesús de Monasterio.
The museum is on a pedestrian street. Nearest bus stops: Jesús de Monasterio (150 metres) and Ayuntamiento (250 metres).
Get directionsAmenities & dining
Bulky or dangerous items (backpacks, suitcases, umbrellas) must be left at the entrance if staff ask for it. Food and drink may not be brought in.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Photography | Photography and filming are allowed inside, without tripods and without flash. |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Groups may have up to 25 people. Minors must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Smoking is not permitted, and animals may not be brought in, except guide dogs. |
