Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza

About the museum

The collection was founded around 1928 in The Hague as the private collection of Baron Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza. In 1988 a lease agreement was signed with the Spanish Government to display it in Madrid, and between 1990 and 1992 Rafael Moneo transformed the Villahermosa Palace, beside the Paseo del Prado, into a picture gallery. The museum opened on 8 October 1992, and in June 1993 the State acquired the main part of the collection: 775 pieces.

The Villahermosa Palace has a history of its own. After serving as a noble residence and as the seat of the Liceo Artístico y Literario in the 19th century, in the mid-20th century it became a bank branch and the office of a financial institution, before being converted into a museum.

In 2004 the museum was extended with two adjoining buildings to display some 250 works from the collection of Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza, shown on deposit. In 2022 a new 15-year lease agreement was signed for 330 works.

Today the museum presents around 900 works, ranging from 13th-century Italian Gothic to art of the 1980s. Together with the Prado and the Reina Sofía, it forms the so-called Paseo del Arte.

Highlights

• Tour of European painting from the 13th to the 20th century
• Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, on deposit
• Villahermosa Palace, remodelled by Rafael Moneo
• Free Saturday evenings, 21:00–23:00
• Free admission on Mondays, 12:00–16:00

Permanent exhibition

• Colección permanente – Around 900 works tracing the history of European painting from 13th-century Italian Gothic to the art of the 1980s, including the Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection.

Founded

1992

Operated by

Fundación Colección Thyssen-Bornemisza

Visitors per year

approx. 1,003,455 (2025)

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Mondays 12:00–16:00 (permanent collection only, no ticket needed) and Saturdays 21:00–23:00, including the temporary exhibitions on the ground floor and in basement level -1.

Free admission for Friends of the Museum, under-18s, unemployed people and people with a disability of 33% or more. Holders of the Mutua Madrileña card can get up to two free tickets at the ticket office on the same day, subject to availability. Only the temporary exhibition on the ground floor requires a timed-entry booking.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

The museum has lifts, ramps and accessible toilets, and holds the AENOR universal accessibility certificate. Assistance dogs and emotional-support animals with a medical certificate are admitted. An easy-to-read guide and a plan of the accessible spaces are available. Wheelchairs, electric scooters and walking sticks with seats can be borrowed from the cloakroom. You can check before your visit by phone on +34 917 911 370.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

There are family activities at weekends, and on weekdays the free “En línea” tour, which explores seven works through the idea of the line. The audio guide includes a children’s visit of about 50 minutes for children aged 6 to 12. Buggies can be borrowed free of charge from the cloakroom, and on level -1 there is a quiet space with a nursing armchair and a changing table.

Getting there & parking

BiciMAD station no. 29 on Calle del Marqués de Cubas, 25.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Coat check

Restaurant-café (Monday 12:00–16:00; Tuesday to Sunday 10:00–19:00) and bookshop with an online shop. The cloakroom is free with admission; on Mondays suitcases are not accepted.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Up to 800 guests.

Spaces for corporate events and private receptions: central hall (up to 800 people standing), 182-seat lecture hall, garden, viewing terrace, terraces and a reserved area of the café. They can be combined with private visits.

Plan your visit