SOROLLA MUSEUM

Description

Essentials about the Sorolla Museum in brief

Anyone who is enthusiastic about the works of the Spanish painter Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida should visit the Sorolla Museum in Madrid. It is housed in the artist’s former villa, where he lived and worked during his lifetime. The museum houses not only over 1,200 works by Sorolla himself, but also numerous sculptures by other artists, as well as ceramics, jewelry and photographs that the passionate collector Sorolla collected over the years.

The history of the Sorolla Museum

The museum is located in the Barrio de Almagro, north of the center of Madrid. The widow of the painter, Clotilde García del Castillo, bequeathed all her goods to the Spanish state in 1925 on condition that a museum including a foundation for her late husband be established. The Spanish state accepted the commitment in 1931 and just one year later the museum was opened in Sorolla’s former villa. The house, built in 1910, is one of the best preserved artists’ residences in Europe. Its garden is a beautiful green oasis in the middle of the metropolis of Madrid.

The collection of the Sorolla Museum

The foundation of the Sorolla Museum was formed by donations from Sorolla’s widow and his sons. In recent years, the Sorolla collection has been successively supplemented by further acquisitions of his works. In addition to Sorolla’s works, the museum also displays numerous collector’s items that the passionate collector gathered himself. The Sorolla’s collection includes works by over 160 artists, including Auguste Rodin, Pedro de Mena y Medrano, Mariano Benlliure, Jusepe de Ribera, Aureliano de Beruete, Marià Fortuny and John Singer Sargent. In addition, the collection consists of statues of the Virgin Mary, archaeological finds, ceramics, popular jewelry and old photographs.