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| Façade of Reina Soía, showing exterior glass elevators Internet |
Its permanent collection is mainly Spanish, with a sprinkling of international works.
The big disappointment of the permanent collection is that photography is not allowed in a large section, including Picasso's famous Guernica and lots of other work by Picasso.
Reina Sofia's Permanent Collection
Wassily Kandinsky, 1866-1944
Kandinsky is credited with inventing Abstractionism, and he developed many variations of that approach.
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| Wassily Kandinsky, 1866-1944 Untitled, 1924 |
Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973
Picasso is one of the giants of 20th century painting, ever leading the way.
He is always associated with Cubism, but some of his early work was in the Post-Impressionist style.
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| Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973 Bust of a Smiling Woman, 1901 |
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| Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973 Woman in Blue, 1901 |
Sonia Delaunay, 1885-1979
Sonia was a French artist and designer who is known as one of the founders of Orphism, a color-based off-shoot of Cubism.
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| Sonia Delaunay, 1885-1979 Dubonnet, 1914 |
Robert Delaunay, 1885-1941
Delaunay was a French artist and designer who is known as one of the founders of Orphism, a color-based off-shoot of Cubism.
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| Robert Delaunay, 1885-1941 The Gypsy, 1915 |
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| Robert Delaunay, 1885-1941 Portrait of Tristan Tzara, 1923 |
Juan Gris, 1887-1927
Juan Gris was an important Spanish painter who spent most of his career in Paris.
His death at the age 40, cut short his career.
He produced a form of synthetic Cubism that is both substantial and appealing.
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| Juan Gris, 1887-1927 Violin and Guitar, 1913 |
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| Juan Gris, 1887-1927 Guitar in Front of the Sea, 1925 |
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| Juan Gris, 1887-1927 The Musician’s Table, 1926 |
Joan Miró, 1893-1983
Miró was an important a Spanish painter of the 20th century.
His early work was primitive and stylized.
He is best known for his contributions to Surrealism. Miró created his Surreal images using figures and objects of his own invention and distributed them in undifferentiated space.
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| Joan Miró, 1893-1983 House with Palm Tree, 1918 |
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| Joan Miró, 1893-1983 The Smile of the Flamboyant Wings, 1953 |
Salvador Dalí, 1904-1989
Dalí might fairly be called the prototypical Surrealist, exploring his fantasies, memories, obsessions and fetishes with wild abandon, and gleefully exposing them to the art world.
However, some of his work belongs to the Classicism movement. He even made various forays into Cubism.
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| Salvador Dalí, 1904-1989 Cubist Self-portrait, 1923 |
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| Salvador Dalí, 1904-1989 Still-Life, 1924 |
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| Salvador Dalí, 1904-1989 Portrait of Luis Buñuel, 1924 |
- Buñuel was a Spanish filmmaker who made Surreal films.
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| Salvador Dalí, 1904-1989 Girl at the Window, 1925 |
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| Salvador Dalí, 1904-1989 Girl from the Back, 1925 |
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| Salvador Dalí, 1904-1989 Sterile Efforts, 1928 |
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| Salvador Dalí, 1904-1989 The Memory of the Womanchild, 1929 |
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| Salvador Dalí, 1904-1989 The Endless Enigma, 1938 |
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| Salvador Dalí, 1904-1989 The Enigma of Hitler, 1939 |
Minor Artists
The museum had several outstanding paintings by Spanish artists who are not well-known in the international art scene.
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| Francisco Iturrino, 1864-1924 Málaga Garden, c. 1916 |
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| Daniel Vázquez Díaz, 1882-1969 The Sleeping Factory, 1925 |
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| Robert Fernández Balbuena, 1890-1966 Nude, 1932 |
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| José de Togores, 1893-1970 Nudes on the Beach, 1922 |
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| Benjamín Palencia, 1894-1980 Villages, 1925 |
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| Benjamín Palencia, 1894-1980 Landscape, 1926 |
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| Rosario de Velasco, 1910-1991 Adam and Eve, 1932 |
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| Ángeles Santos, 1911-2013 The Gathering, 1929 |
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| Ángeles Santos, 1911-2013 A World, 1929 |
Key Points about the Permanent Collection
Spain's most important 20th century artists:
- Picasso—Cubism
- Dalí—Surrealism
- Miró—Abstract Surrealism
- Juan Gris—Cubism
Kandinsky was the leader of the Abstract movement.
Sonia Delaunay and Robert Delaunay invented a colorful offshoot of Cubism known as Orphism.
Spain had many excellent painters in the 20th century who have not gained international fame.
Special Exhibits
Gauguin was one of the most important artists of the Post-Impressionist period.
He is usually associated with the theme of island life, but he also did many canvases while he was still in Europe.
His paint handling was textured in the European phase of his career, but after he moved to the islands, his style became flatter and more iconic.
Vincent van Gogh, 1853-1890
Van Gogh was the most popular Post-Impressionist.
Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973
Chagall was a Russian painter who spent most of his career in Paris.
Many of his paintings reflect his Jewish heritage.
Key Take-Aways from 'Collectionism and Modernity'
White Fire: The Kunstmuseum Basel Modern Collection
During our tour, the museum was hosting two special exhibits from Basel, Switzerland. Between them they comprised a survey of art of the first half of the 20th century.
Collectionism and Modernity
Two Case Studies
The Collections of Im Obersteg and Rudolf Staechelin, Basel
This exhibition brought together two leading collections of early modernist art that now form part of the holdings of the Kunstmuseum Basel.
Im Obersteg and Rudolf Staechelin were friends, and both were members of the Basel Arts Committee.
Paul Gauguin, 1848-1903
Gauguin was one of the most important artists of the Post-Impressionist period.
He is usually associated with the theme of island life, but he also did many canvases while he was still in Europe.
His paint handling was textured in the European phase of his career, but after he moved to the islands, his style became flatter and more iconic.
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| Paul Gauguin, 1848-1903 Landscape with Red Roof, 1885 |
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| Paul Gauguin, 1848-1903 When will you marry? 1892 |
- In February of 2015, this painting was sold by the family of Rudolf Staechelin to the chairman of the Qatar Museums for almost $300 million, the highest price ever paid for a work of art as of this writing. When this show was over, the painting was sent to its new owner in Qatar.
Vincent van Gogh, 1853-1890
Van Gogh was the most popular Post-Impressionist.
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Vincent van Gogh, 1853-1890
Daubigny’s Garden, 1890
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- Daubigny was a painter that van Gogh admired.
Ferdinand Hodler, 1853-1918
Hodler was a Swiss painter whose style derived from Post-Impressionism.
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| Ferdinand Hodler, 1853-1918 Portrait of Régina Morgeron, 1911 |
Alexej von Jawlensky, 1864-1941
Jawlensky was a Russian Expressionist painter who made his career in Germany.
His main subject was faces; not so much as portraits, but as imaginative and expressive designs.
His main subject was faces; not so much as portraits, but as imaginative and expressive designs.
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| Alexej von Jawlensky, 1864-1941 Child, c. 1909 |
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| Alexej von Jawlensky, 1864-1941 Self-Portrait, 1911 |
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| Alexej von Jawlensky, 1864-1941 Mystical Head: Head of a Girl (Frontal), 1918 |
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| Alexej von Jawlensky, 1864-1941 Abstract Head: Black-Yellow-Purple, c. 1922 |
Wassily Kandinsky, 1866-1944
Kandinsky is best known for his abstractions, but he started as a painter of Expressionist landscapes.
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| Wassily Kandinsky, 1866-1944 Study of Murnau—Landscape with Church, 1909 |
Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973
Picasso commanded a dumbfounding array of styles. He could even paint in very different styles in the same year.
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| Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973 Woman in the Loge, 1901 |
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| Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973 The Absinthe Drinker, 1901 |
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| Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973 Harlequin with Mask, 1918 |
Marc Chagall, 1887-1985
Chagall was a Russian painter who spent most of his career in Paris.
Many of his paintings reflect his Jewish heritage.
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| Marc Chagall, 1887-1985 Self-Portrait, 1914 |
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| Marc Chagall, 1887-1985 Jew in Green, 1914 |
Key Take-Aways from 'Collectionism and Modernity'
Gauguin was an important Post-Impressionist who painted landscapes in Europe and figure studies in the islands.
Van Gogh was the most popular Post-Impressionist.
Hodler was painter in the Expressionist movement.
Jawlensky was an Expressionist who had a specialty of designs based on faces.
Kandinsky was the foremost Abstractionist.
Picasso worked in a wide array of styles.
Chagall was an Expressionist who sometimes explored his Jewish heritage.
Coinciding with the closure of the Kunstmuseum Basel for the remodelling of its spaces, the Reina Sofía Museum was showing a selection from the Kunstmuseum Basel’s important collection of modern and contemporary art. This selection ranged in date from the late 19 th century to the present day, and offered a comprehensive panorama that demonstrated the transition from classic modern to contemporary art, including examples of Expressionism, abstract art, Constructivism, Minimalism, and German Expressionism.
Ferdinand Hodler, 1853-1918
Hodler was the best known Swiss painter of the late 19th and early 20th century. His style was Expressionist.
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| Ferdinand Hodler Mount Niesen Seen from Heustrich, 1910 |
Edvard Munch, 1863-1944
Munch was a Norwegian painter who worked in the Expressionist manner.
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| Edvard Munch Road in Aasgaardstrand, 1901 |
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| Edvard Munch Coastal Landscape, 1918 |
Wassily Kandinsky, 1866-1944
Kandinsky was the leader of the Abstractionist movement.
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| Vassily Kandinsky Heavy Red, 1924 |
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| Wassily Kandinsky, 1866-1944 Pointed Black, 1931 |
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| Wassily Kandinsky, 1866-1944 The Arrow, 1943 |
Piet Mondrian, 1872-1944
Piet Mondrian was a Dutch painter who brought a rigorous geometry and color balance to Abstractionism.
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| Piet Mondrian Composition No. I, with Red and Black, 1929 |
Paul Klee, 1879-1940
Paul Klee was a Swiss-born painter of German heritage who created whimsical designs with subtle color combinations. Both his shapes and his colors hint at objective reality while remaining detached and abstract.
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| Paul Klee, 1879-1940 On a Motif from Hammamet, 1914 |
- Hammamet is a town in Tunisia.
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| Paul Klee, 1879-1940 Façade Brown-Green, 1919 |
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| Paul Klee, 1879-1940 Senecio (Soon to be Aged), 1922 |
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| Paul Klee, 1879-1940 Blue Night, 1937 |
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1880-1938
Kirchner was a prominent German Expressionist.
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| Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1880-1938 Davos in Winter. Davos in Snow, 1923 |
Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973
After Picasso and Braque experimented with analyzing images into component shapes, which produced a style known as Analytic Cubism, they began building up images by stacking component shapes, which produced a style Synthetic Cubism.
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| Pablo Picasso The Pedestal Table, 1913-1914 |
Léger developed an approach to Cubism that featured round forms, rather than cubes.
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| Fernand Léger Woman in Blue, 1912 |
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| Fernand Léger Nudes on a Red Ground, 1923 |
Georges Braque, 1882-1963
Braque was an innovative French painter who participated in the development of Fauvism and Cubism.
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| Georges Braque, 1882-1963 Pitcher and Violin, 1909/1910 |
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| Georges Braque, 1882-1963 Gueridon (small circular table), 1913 |
Theo van Doesburg, 1883-1931
Theo van Doesburg was a Dutch artist who was 8 years younger than Mondrian and very much impressed by his style. Together they founded a school of art they called De Stijl. Van Doesburg created more complex compositions than Mondrian.
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| Theo van Doesburg, 1883-1931 Composition in Half-Tones, 1928 |
Beckmann was a German painter in the style of the New Objectivity.
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| Max Beckmann, 1884-1950 The Nizza in Frankfurt on the Main, 1921 |
- Nizza is a city park in Frankfurt on the Main.
Josef Albers, 1888-1976
In the 1950s, Josef Albers, a German-born American painter and educator, elected to hold the geometry static while he pursued experiments in color. He did a long series of paintings based on the square.
Andy Warhol, 1928-1987
Warhol was an American artist who was best known for his contributions to Pop Art.
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| Andy Warhol Optical Car Crash, 1962 |
- Warhol took an image of a car crash from a newspaper or magazine, and manipulated it to form an abstract pattern of clashing colors.
Gerhard Richter, born 1932
Richter is one of the most important living German painters.
One of his distinctive and innovative styles was to create paintings that look like blurry old photographs.
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| Gerhard Richter, born 1932 Motorboat, 1965 |
Agnes Martin, 1912-2004
Agnes Martin was an important American abstractionist, known for restricting her means to horizontal and vertical elements.
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| Agnes Martin, 1912-2004 Park, 1965 |
Take-Aways from 'White Fire'
Kirchner, Hodler and Munch painted in the Expressionist style.
Kandinsky was an Abstractionist.
Mondrian originated Geometric Abstractionism.
Van Doesburg followed in his footsteps.
Josef Albers painted color experiments in the form of simple geometric abstractions.
Agnes Martin was an abstractionist who worked primarily with horizontal and vertical elements.
Klee was an Abstractionist whose works generally retain some whimsical reference to reality.
Picasso, Braque and Léger were Cubists.
Beckmann was part of the New Objectivity movement.
Andy Warhol was one of the leaders of Pop Art.
Gerhard Richter is one of the most important living painters. One of his themes was paintings that resemble blurry old photos.
Kandinsky was the pioneer of the Abstract movement.
Expressionist painters:
Spain's most important 20th century artists:
Andy Warhol was one of the leaders of Pop Art.
Gerhard Richter is one of the most important living painters. One of his themes was paintings that resemble blurry old photos.
Putting It All Together
Gauguin was an important Post-Impressionist who painted landscapes in Europe and figure studies in the islands.
Van Gogh was the most popular Post-Impressionist. His work is notable for its expressive brushwork.
Kandinsky was the pioneer of the Abstract movement.
Klee was an Abstractionist whose works generally retain some whimsical reference to reality.
Mondrian originated Geometric Abstractionism.
Van Doesburg followed in his footsteps.
- Hodler - Swiss
- Jawlensky - Russian
- Chagall - Russian
- Kirchner - German
- Munch - Norwegian
Josef Albers painted color experiments in the form of simple geometric abstractions.
Agnes Martin was an abstractionist who worked primarily with horizontal and vertical elements.
- Picasso - Cubist
- Juan Gris - Cubist
- Dalí - Surrealist
- Miró - Surrealist
Picasso worked in a wide array of styles. His early works were Post-Impressionist.
Picasso, Braque and Léger were Cubists.
Sonia Delaunay and Robert Delaunay invented a colorful offshoot of Cubism known as Orphism.
Picasso, Braque and Léger were Cubists.
Sonia Delaunay and Robert Delaunay invented a colorful offshoot of Cubism known as Orphism.
Beckmann was part of the New Objectivity movement.
Andy Warhol was one of the leaders of Pop Art.
Gerhard Richter is one of the most important living painters. One of his themes was paintings that resemble blurry old photos.
Gerhard Richter is one of the most important living painters. One of his themes was paintings that resemble blurry old photos.
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