Museo Sorolla

Overview

The former mansion and studio of Valencian Impressionist painter Joaquín Sorolla is one of Madrid's most intimate and enchanting museum experiences. The house is preserved exactly as he left it, filled with his sun-drenched Mediterranean canvases.

Highlights

• The Andalusian Garden: A serene interior garden designed by Sorolla himself, inspired by the gardens of the Alhambra and the Alcázar of Seville, with fountains, tiles, and fragrant plants.
• The Studio: Sorolla's vast painting studio with enormous north-facing windows, still arranged with his palettes, easels, and the ceramic collection he used as props.
• Beach Paintings: His luminous, large-scale canvases of children bathing on the Valencian coast, capturing reflected light on wet skin and sand.

History

Sorolla (1863–1923) was the most internationally celebrated Spanish painter of his generation, known as the "master of light." He commissioned this house in 1910 and his widow donated it to the state in 1925 as a museum.

Visitor Tips

• Timing: Visit early morning when sunlight floods the rooms exactly as Sorolla experienced them while painting.
• Combine: Pair with the nearby Museo Lázaro Galdiano, a 15-minute walk north.
• Duration: 45–60 minutes.