Seven D: The Thyssen-Bornemisza

Façade of Thyssen-Bornemisza, with new wing in front
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The Thyssen-Bornemizsa Museum is the home of one of Europe's largest private art collections. With over 1,600 paintings, the museum enables visitors to review the entire history of art from the 13th to the 20th century.

This international collection, which is now state-owned, is the result of the exquisite taste of its two main creators, Baron Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza (1875-1947) and his son, Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza (1921-2002), wealthy industrialists and devoted art collectors.

Originally, the collection was housed on the family estate in Lugano, Switzerland, but when the younger Baron was seeking to expand his museum, the Spanish government offered him a grand palace that had been the former home of an aristocratic family. The Baron already had a connection to Spain because he was married to a former Miss Spain, Carmen Cervera.

The palace was transformed into a museum by Spain's foremost architect, Rafael Moneo, and opened to the public in 1992.

Ricardo Macarrón, 1926-2004
Baron and Baroness Thyssen-Bornemisza, 1987-1989

Early 1300s

Duccio, 1278-1319

Duccio was an Italian artist who was one of the earliest painters to be known by name.

He painted religious icons and Bible stories commissioned by the Church.

He is known for developing as fuller modeling of figures and better depiction of space than his predecessors.

Duccio, 1278-1319
Christ and the Samaritan Woman, 1310-1311

1400s

Domenico Ghirlandaio, 1449-1494

Ghirlandaio was one of the greatest Italian painters of the the Renaissance.

Domenico Ghirlandaio, 1449-1494
Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni, 1488

Raphael, 1483-1520

Raphael is considered by many to be the greatest painter of the Italian Renaissance, and his works are considered to be the epitome of Renaissance style.

Raphael, 1483-1520
Portrait of a Young Man, c. 1515

1500s

Bronzino, 1502-1572

Bronzino was an Italian painter of the late Renaissance in the mid-1500s, who is associated with the creation of Mannerism.

Bronzino is known for his elongated figures and dramatic compositions.

Bronzino, 1502-1572
Cosimo de Medici in Armor, c. 1545

Tintoretto, 1518-1594

Tintoretto was one of the foremost Venetian painters of the late Renaissance.

Tintoretto, 1518-1594
Annunciation to the Wife of Manoah, c. 1558

Tintoretto, 1518-1594
The Meeting of Tamar and Judah, c. 1558

Veronese, 1528-1588

Veronese was one of the foremost Venetian painters of the mid-1500s, the late Renaissance.

One of Veronese's strengths was dignified portraits of aristocratic ladies in formal garb.

Veronese, 1528-1588
Portrait of a Young Lady with Lapdog, c. 1570

El Greco, 1541-1614

El Greco was the earliest painter to become famous in the history of Spanish art.

He was from Greece, but he trained in Venice, and became a master artist in Italy before migrating to Toledo, a major city in Spain, where he quickly became enormously popular.

Most of his work was commissioned by religious institutions and features the standard Bible stories.

He is known for his elongated figures, his dramatic lighting, and his acidic color combinations.

El Greco, 1541-1614
Annunciation, 1567-1577

El Greco, 1541-1614
Annunciation, 1596-1600

El Greco, 1541-1614
The Immaculate Conception, 1607-1613

1600s

Orazio Gentileschi, 1563-1639

Gentileschi was one of the greatest painters of the Italian Baroque era.

Orazio Gentileschi, 1563-1639
Lot and His Daughters, c. 1623

Jan Brueghel, the Elder, 1568-1625

Brueghel the Elder was one of the leading Flemish painters of the early 1600s.

Brueghel excelled in many genres, including seascapes.

Jan Brueghel, the Elder, 1568-1625
Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee, 1596

Caravaggio, 1571-1610

Caravaggio was the originator of a dramatic, high-contrast lighting which strongly influenced Baroque art throughout Europe.

Caravaggio, 1571-1610
Saint Catherine of Alexandria, c. 1597

Peter Paul Rubens, 1577-1640

Rubens was the most important Flemish artist of the Baroque era.

His work usually featured rather extravagant figures in a mythological or religious scene.

Peter Paul Rubens, 1577-1640
The Toilette of Venus, c. 1606
Photo by Dan L. Smith, 2015

Peter Paul Rubens, 1577-1640
Portrait of a Young Woman with a Rosary, c. 1610
JLS, 2015

Frans Hals, 1583-1666

Frans Hals was a very popular portrait artist in the Dutch Golden Age.

Frans Hals, 1583-1666
Fisherman Playing the Violin, c. 1630

Frans Hals, 1583-1666
Family Group in a Landscape, c. 1648

Hendrick ter Brugghen, 1588-1629

Ter Brugghen was a Dutch follower of Caravaggio. One of his specialties was scenes lit by a single candle.

Hendrick ter Brugghen, 1588-1629
Esau Selling His Birthright, c. 1627
JLS, 2015

Gerrit van Honthorst, 1592-1656

Honthorst was a Dutch follower of Caravaggio. One of his specialties was typical characters, such as happy drinkers or musicians.

Gerrit van Honthorst, 1592-1656
The Merry Violinist, 1624
Photo by Dan L. Smith, 2015

Anthony van Dyck, 1599-1641

Van Dyck was a Flemish portrait artist who was most famous as painter to the Royal Court of Britain.

Anthony van Dyck, 1599-1641
Portrait of Jacques Le Roy, 1631
JLS, 2015

Rembrandt, 1606-1669

Rembrandt was the foremost Dutch painter of the first half of the1600s, the Golden Age of Dutch Painting. He is especially noted for his self-portraits.

Rembrandt, 1606-1669
Self-portrait, c. 1643

Louise Moillon, 1610-1696

Louise was a French artist who specialized in the dignified depiction of fruits and vegetables.

Her work was collected by the aristocracy of France and England.

Louise Moillon, 1610-1696
Still-life with Fruit, c. 1637

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, 1618-1682

Murillo was a Spanish artist of the Baroque era. He is especially known for devotional scenes.

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, 1618-1682
Madonna and Child with Saint Rose of Viterbo, c. 1670

1700s

Giovanni Paolo Panini, 1691-1765

Panini was an Italian artist who specialized in Biblical scenes that feature architecture.

Giovanni Paolo Panini, 1691-1765
The Expulsion from the Temple, 1724

Giovanni Paolo Panini, 1691-1765
The Healing of the Sick, c. 1724

Canaletto, 1697-1768

Canaletto was an Italian who specialized in scenes of Venice.

Canaletto, 1697-1768
View of the Grand Canal from San Vio, c. 1724

François Boucher, 1703-1770

Boucher is considered the epitome of Rococo painters with his frivolous subjects and fashionable style.

François Boucher, 1703-1770
La Toilette, 1742
JLS, 2015

Hubert Robert, 1733-1808

Hubert Robert was a French painter who specialized in images of Roman ruins.

Hubert Robert, 1733-1808
The Foot-bridge, c. 1775

Hubert Robert, 1733-1808
Interior of the Temple of Diana at Nimes, 1783

Hubert Robert, 1733-1808

Civil Guard, c. 1785

Francisco Goya, 1746-1828

Goya was one of the foremost Spanish painters of the Romantic era. He worked for the royal court of Spain.

Francisco Goya, 1746-1828
King Ferdinand VII of Spain, c. 1815
Photo by Dan L. Smith, 2015

1800s

Camille Pissarro, 1830-1903

Pissarro was an influential French Impressionist. He also made important contributions to Neo-Impressionism.

Camille Pissarro, 1830-1903
Saint-Honoré Street in the Afternoon, Effect of Rain, 1897

Édouard Manet, 1832-1883

Manet was one of the leading French painters of the mid-1800s.

His style started as academic realism, but it became ever more modern and bold.

Édouard Manet, 1832-1883
Woman in Riding Habit, c. 1882

Edgar Degas, 1834-1917

Degas was a Realist with a strong association with Impressionism.

Over half his work depicts ballerinas, but he also had a theme of women at millenary stores, and he took extended interest in horse racing.

Edgar Degas, 1834-1917
Swaying Dancer, 1877-1879
JLS, 2015

Edgar Degas, 1834-1917
At the Milliner’s, c. 1883
Photo by Dan L. Smith. 2015

Edgar Degas, 1834-1917
Race Horses in a Landscape, 1894
JLS, 2015

Vincent van Gogh, 1853-1890

Van Gogh was a beloved Post-Impressionist, especially known for his expressive brushwork.

Vincent van Gogh, 1853-1890
Watermill at Gennep, 1884

Vincent van Gogh, 1853-1890
The Stevedores in Arles (Coal Barges), 1888

1900s

Alexej von Jawlensky, 1864-1941

Jawlensky was an Expressionist who turned portraits into designs.

Alexej von Jawlensky, 1864-194
Red Veil, 1912
Photo by Dan L. Smith, 2015

Wassily Kandinsky, 1866-1944

Kandinsky was a Russian artist who is best known for originating the Abstract movement in painting.

Early in his career, he lived in Germany and became famous for landscapes in the style of German Expressionism.

Wassily Kandinsky, 1866-1944
Murnau: Top of the Johannisstrasse, 1908

Wassily Kandinsky, 1866-1944
Picture with Three Spots, 1914
Photo by Dan L. Smith

Wassily Kandinsky, 1866-1944
In the Bright Oval, 1925
Photo by Dan L. Smith

Pierre Bonnard, 1867-1947

Bonnard  was a leader of the second generation of Post-Impressionists, continuing that style into the 20th century.

Pierre Bonnard, 1967-1947
Misia Godebska, 1908
Photo by Dan L. Smith

Piet Mondrian, 1872-1944

Mondrian was a Dutch painter most celebrated for his geometric abstractions.

Piet Mondrian, 1872-1944
New York City, 3 (Unfinished), 1940-1942
Photo by Dan L. Smith

André Derain, 1880-1954

Derain was an important French artist whose work followed one style after another, from Fauvism to Cubism to Classicism.

André Derain, 1880-1954
Waterloo Bridge, 1906
JLS, 2015

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1880-1938

Kirchner was a German Expressionist.

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1880-1938
Curving Bay, c. 1914
JLS, 2015

Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973

Although Picasso is best known for innovating the Cubist style around 1910, in the 1920s he had a long Classical period in which he emulated the idealized drawing style of the Old Masters.

Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973
Harlequin with a Mirror, 1923
Photo by Dan L. Smith

Theo van Doesburg, 1883-1931

The Dutch painter van Doesburg was a follower and colleague of Piet Mondrian. He developed his own approach to geometric abstraction.

Theo van Doesburg, 1883-1931
Composition XX, 1910-1920
Photo by Dan L. Smith, 2015

Max Beckmann, 1884-1950

Beckmann was a German painter of the New Objectivity style.

Max Beckmann, 1884-1950
Quappi in Pink Jumper, 1932-1934

Robert Delaunay, 1885-1941

Delaunay was a French artist who is best known as one of the founders of an offshoot of Cubism known as Orphism.

Robert Delaunay, 1885-1941
The Large Portuguese, 1941
Photo by Dan L. Smith, 2015

Lyubov Popova, 1889-1924

Popova was a Russian avant-garde artist who developed her own form of Geometric Abstraction that was strongly influenced by Synthetic Cubism.

Lyubov Popova, 1889-1924
Still Life, Instruments, 1915
Photo by Dan L. Smith, 2015

René Magritte, 1898-1967

Magritte was a Belgian painter who is best known for a form of Surrealism that features optical and intellectual trickery.

René Magritte, 1898-1967
La clef des champs, 1936
Photo by Dan L. Smith

Summary of Art History at the Thyssen-Bornemisza

1300s

• Duccio

1400s

• Ghirlandaio
• Raphael

1500s

• Bronzino
• Tintoretto
• Veronese
• El Greco

1600s

• Gentileschi
• Brueghel the Elder
• Caravaggio
• Rubens
• Hals
• Ter Brugghen
• Honthorst
• Van Dyck
• Rembrandt
• Louise Moillon
• Murillo

1700s

• Panini
• Canaletto
• Boucher
• Hubert Robert
• Goya

1800s

• Pissarro
• Manet
• Degas
• Van Gogh

1900s

• Kandinsky
• Bonnard
• Mondrian
• Derain
• Kirchner
• Picasso
• Van Doesburg
• Beckmann
• Robert Delaunay
• Magritte