Tour Details
Duration
2.5 hours
Product Type
Tour
Venues
Reina Sofia Museum
Photos & Highlights
- Explores highlights of the museum including Picasso's masterpiece, Guernica
- Led by a local art historian
Select a date
Tour Description
The Reina Sofía is one of Madrid's most important museums and houses a fascinating collection of over 21,000 pieces. The main focus of the museum is Modernist 20th-century art, including seminal works by Miró and Salvador Dalí, as well as Picasso's world-changing Guernica. On this 2.5-hour Reina Sofía private tour, we will join a local art historian with skip-the-line tickets to explore this fascinating collection. Beyond simply appreciating each work on its own, we will look closely at the political and social events that shaped this period of Spain's history and attempt to contextualize the art within its time.
Our tour begins with an introduction to early 20th-century Spain and its pivotal role in the avant-garde art movements of the period. We’ll explore works by Picasso and Juan Gris in relation to Cubism and Dalí and Miró’s contributions to Surrealism, setting the stage for understanding Spain’s profound influence on modern art.
The centerpiece of our visit is Picasso’s monumental *Guernica*, a haunting response to the Spanish Civil War. Our guide will unpack the painting’s history, symbolism, and journey, exploring its role as an international statement against war. We’ll also examine works displayed alongside *Guernica* in Paris in 1937, considering how art was wielded as a tool to spotlight Spain’s internal conflict. Continuing through the museum, we’ll discuss the post-war period, the impact of Franco’s dictatorship on Spanish artists, and the rise of collectives like El Paso and Dau al Set. Finally, we’ll conclude in the museum’s lower floors, tracing the evolution of Spanish art into contemporary mediums and techniques.
The centerpiece of our visit is Picasso’s monumental *Guernica*, a haunting response to the Spanish Civil War. Our guide will unpack the painting’s history, symbolism, and journey, exploring its role as an international statement against war. We’ll also examine works displayed alongside *Guernica* in Paris in 1937, considering how art was wielded as a tool to spotlight Spain’s internal conflict. Continuing through the museum, we’ll discuss the post-war period, the impact of Franco’s dictatorship on Spanish artists, and the rise of collectives like El Paso and Dau al Set. Finally, we’ll conclude in the museum’s lower floors, tracing the evolution of Spanish art into contemporary mediums and techniques.
Please note, the fourth floor of the Reina Sofia is currently closed for construction work. Your guide will focus on the other floors of the museum, such as the second floor, which focuses on the period from 1898, during the Spanish-American War, up until WW2.
At the conclusion of the tour, you will come away with a more robust knowledge of Spanish artists of the 20th century, along with an insight into their influences and evolution within the wider sociocultural context of when they operated, and an appreciation of the continued relevance of their work today.
What are skip-the-line tickets?
For this tour, your tickets are pre-purchased, which allows you to skip the ticket office line upon arrival at the museum. You may still have to wait in a security line or in a line to have your pre-purchased ticket scanned.
Is this tour wheelchair-accessible?
The museum is fully wheelchair accessible throughout. Please contact us to discuss in more detail your mobility concerns so that we can best advise.
The museum is fully wheelchair accessible throughout. Please contact us to discuss in more detail your mobility concerns so that we can best advise.
Is this tour appropriate for children?
This walk is not a part of our official family program. That said, we may be able to arrange a visit with a family-friendly guide. Please contact us if you would like to explore this option.
This walk is not a part of our official family program. That said, we may be able to arrange a visit with a family-friendly guide. Please contact us if you would like to explore this option.
I am interested in taking your Spanish Civil War tour, which I see also visits the Reina Sofia. Will there be an overlap?
Our Spanish Civil War tour does indeed visit the Reina Sofia to discuss Guernica in the context of the war. There will be overlap in that respect. Should you like to book the Civil War tour privately, we can adjust the content so that there is no overlap.
Our Spanish Civil War tour does indeed visit the Reina Sofia to discuss Guernica in the context of the war. There will be overlap in that respect. Should you like to book the Civil War tour privately, we can adjust the content so that there is no overlap.
Where You'll Start
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97 Reviews
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Hector gave great insight into the history with the artwork!
Jennifer
Reviewed on:
Oct 13, 2025
Carlos was amazing. Today was a holiday in Spain, and the area around the museum was packed for a national parade. Anticipating the crowd, he placed himself first in line at the museum -- so when it opened, we were the first people inside. His knowledge of the art, its history, and the Spanish history associated with this period brought so much dimension to the experience. Afterward, he gave me lunch recommendations, and sent a list of wonderful restaurants in the area, with other activities to do.
On a macro level, I'd urge everyone to make the investment in a private guide like Carlos for the truly important experiences that require context. You've come all this way — 13,000 km in my case. Do it right.
Carl
Reviewed on:
Oct 12, 2025
Great guide and learned so much about Spanish history, culture and art. Thank you Hector!!!
Gwendolyn
Reviewed on:
Oct 7, 2025
