Centro de Arte Reina Sofía
The Centro de Arte Reina Sofía is housed in an 18th century building that was the former general hospital of Madrid. It is a museum of 20th century art containing works by among others Dalí, Miro and Picasso. It contains what many consider to be the greatest painting of the 20th century, "Guernica" by Picasso. This painting was commissioned by the Spanish government in 1937 for a Paris exhibition. As an inspiration Picasso took the aerial bombing of the Basque town of Guernika-Lumo during the Spanish Civil War. The painting ended up in a New York gallery until 1981 because Picasso did not wish it to be return to Spain until democracy was restored. It was then displayed in the Prado museum until it was moved to here in 1992.
Visit the official website of the Centro de Arte Reina Sofía