Madrid’s Top 10 : Centro de Arte Reina Sofía

Woman in Blue

This marvellous Blue-period portrait (1901) by Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) was painted shortly after his first visit to Paris – he painted the insolent looking courtesan from memory. When the painting failed to win a national exhibition, a disgruntled Picasso discarded it. It was discovered several years later.

Portrait of Sonia de Klamary

Hermengildo Anglada Camarasa (1871–1959) had a sensual style as this evocative painting (c.1913) shows.

The Gathering at Café de Pombo

José Gutiérrez Solana (1886–1945) loved to record the social life of the capital, as in this 1920 portrait of a literary group. The painting’s owner, novelist and poet Ramón Gómez de la Serna, is shown standing in the centre.

Guitar in Front of the Sea

Juan Gris (1887–1927) became one of Cubism’s leading exponents. This 1925 work is an excellent example.

The Great Masturbator

Catalan artist Salvador Dalí (1904–89) was a leading exponent of Surrealism, with its exploration of the subconscious. The figure of the Masturbator (1929) is derived from a weird rock formation at Cadaqués.

Bulls (Bullfighting)

In this 1933 painting Benjamin Palencia (1894–1980) evokes the arid landscape of La Mancha, while the animals appear symbolic.

Portrait II

Joan Miró (1893– 1983) encompassed Cubism and Surrealism but he never lost his extraordinary originality. In this 1938 work the Catalan painter is more interested in juxtaposing colours rather than revealing the physical attributes of the sitter.

Animal Head with Apples

This 1939 still life by Luis Fernández (1900–73) harks back to the classical traditions of 17th-century Spanish painting. Fernández experimented with abstraction and Surrealism before settling on his own figurative style.

Superimposition of Grey Matter

Antoní Tàpies (b.1923) is arguably Spain’s most important postwar artist. His “matter paintings”, including this 1961 work, explore texture and are composed by adding layers of mixed media, such as sand, pigment, powdered marble and paint, onto a pre-varnished canvas.

Painting is like Hitting

This entertaining 1972 work, in which two suited artists slug it out among outsized tubes of paint, is by “Equipo Crónica”, aka artists Rafael Solbes (1940–81) and Manuel Valdés (b.1942). The duo were inspired by Pop Art.

Escultura (Sculpture)

Born in Lithuania, Jacques Lipchitz (1891–1973) fell under the spell of Cubism during his first stay in Paris in 1909. This piece (1915) suggests the human form although it is very close to pure abstraction.

Great Prophet

Catalan artist Pablo Gargallo (1881–1934) was one of the most important Spanish sculptors during the 1920s and 1930s. He spent nearly 30 years planning this 1933 masterpiece which was sadly only cast after his death.

Portrait of Joella

This beautiful sculpture painting (1933–4) was the fruit of a collaboration between Catalan Salvador Dalí and the leading American Surrealist, Man Ray (1890–1978). Man Ray fashioned the head, leaving Dalí to add the striking painted dream landscape.

Seated Woman I

Born in Barcelona, Julio González (1876–1942) became an apprentice welder in Paris and his training at the forge had a major impact on his work. This abstract piece from 1935 is very typical of his output.

Man with a Lamb

This arresting 1943 work by Pablo Picasso is a traditional sculpture in the manner of Rodin. Picasso’s studies of the period suggest that the lamb is intended to be a symbol of sacrifice.

Two Figures in the Form of a Leaf

British sculptor Henry Moore (1898–1986) was a significant influence on Spanish artists of the 1940s and 1950s, and this 1952 piece is a fine example. A devotee of Picasso, he later moved away from traditional work to join the Surrealists.

Metaphysical Box

Jorge de Oteiza (b.1908) is a highly original Basque sculptor, more interested in form than in expressing feelings or symbols. This piece dates from 1958. He made a big impact on the younger painters of Equipo ‘57, also exhibited here.

Artisan Couple

A prominent member of the Madrid Realist school, Julio López Hernández (b.1930) is noted for his lifesize human figures, such as this wonderfully evocative study of a craftsman and his wife at the workbench, cast in 1965.

Wind Clock

One of the most important painters of the 20th century, both in Spain and around the world, Catalan Joan Miró was an equally talented sculptor. In his later work, when he became engrossed in Surrealism, he was especially interested in the qualities and workings of simple objects and materials, such as this 1967 clock.

Toki Egin (Homage to St John of the Cross)

Eduardo Chillida (1924–2002) is one the most highly regarded sculptors in Spain. This enormous iron construction (1989–90) weighs 8,000 kg (17,500 lbs) special cranes were needed to install it in the museum. Chillida was a founding member of Grupo ‘57, an artistic group under the Franco regime.

Bull

Wounded Horse

Bereaved Mother

Dead Child

Dead Soldier

Candle

Light Bulb

Broken Dagger

Window

Eyes