[On Painting] Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum

[Duane]

As I continue writing my blog entry about Las Meninas (coming soon,) I thought I'd write about my visit to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, which sits about a block from The Prado. I'm embarrassed to admit that I had never heard of Thyssen-Bornemisza before my visit to Madrid. I'm embarrassed because it is one of the most fascinating collections of painting I have ever seen. If anyone wants to get a sense of the evolution of painting, of artists pushing, toppling and building upon foundations of painting through the centuries, then this is the place to go. It reminded me that the well-manicured "isms" of art historians fail to give an accurate sense of the experimentation and play that occurs in the studio. The Thyssen-Bornemisza collection allows room for the art historical orphan, a painting that doesn't quite fit within an artist's prescribed "style" of painting (I found myself saying "so and so painted that?" several times.) Every room seemed to have a miraculous gem of a painting that we had never seen before.

The collection is beautifully presented on colored walls in warm, comfortable rooms. It is organized so that there is a natural flow from one room to another along an historical time line of painting. And unlike many museums, the layout is intuitive-- I looked at a map maybe once the whole time I was there.

It is an astounding collection of work.

They also have an excellent web site (and make sure you check out the cool virtual tour.)



Van Gogh


Matisse

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Posted By Duane to On Painting at 2/01/2008 10:30:00 AM