Los dos Museos

Since I have been here, I have seen a couple of really good museums, the Museo del Prado, and the Museo de la Reina Sofia. Both were art museums, and both in their own way intrigued me.

The Museo del Prado has been around in Madrid for a long time. Most of the artwork within hails from artists from centuries ago up until about the end of the 19th century. I loved having the chance to see some of the really old works, such as some original works from Van Eyck, Boticelli, and Velásquez. They also had an extensive collection by Goya, in cluding the very famous The Third of May 1808, which depicted the execution of the men who defended Madrid against the invasion of Napoleon.

The Museo de la Reina Sofia has several signifciant works as well, including Picasso's Guernica, for which the museum was created after the death of Francisco Franco. Picasso had vowed that the work would never come home to Spain until after the death of Franco. Franco outlived Picasso, but after a short spat between the Spanish government and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the painting was turned over the museum after Franco's death. The work was comissioned by the republican resistance to Franco, and was meant to depict the bombing of the basque city of Guernica by the Germans, and act that Franco allegedly gave permission to.