I ,again, have written on the museum before in my blog, but again, found me older new pictures that should be in the blog, I have the history on the other post, and will just copy here the bit of description of this wonderful Museo de Sorolla of Madrid , part II !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The Sorolla Museum is a Spanish state museum located in a palace of the Paseo del General Martínez Campos, no. 37 a site that would serve as a workshop and housing for Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida with his wife and three children. The building was built in 1911, built with the wishes of the painter to create a space that merged the work area and his home and also had a garden space. The house retains the original atmosphere of many of the spaces, in addition to housing a wide collection of Sorolla’s works, as well as numerous objects that he collected as a collector during his life. It is also one of the best preserved artist houses in Europe! Indeed, it is !! One of the off the beaten path places in my Madrid that ought to be visit more, and we will,
The museum’s collections are composed of works by Sorolla himself, personal belongings, as well as many others that he collected during his life as a collector. Similarly, among the collection are works by his closest relatives, such as his daughters Maria and Helena Sorolla, and his son-in-law, Francisco Pons Arnau. Most of this comes from the legacy and donations made by the painter’s own relatives, such as his wife and three children. Here is a brief breakdown of them,
The painting collection is the most representative of the museum with 1294 works by Sorolla, which cover different themes and formats, such as his famous color notes, preparatory paintings he made as a study prior to the realization of a larger format work. It also has 164 works by other painters such as Aureliano de Beruete, Anders Zorn or Martín Rico Ortega.
The drawings collection of 4985 drawings made by Sorolla includes designs for the facade of the building, its gardens or interiors of the house, as well as charcoals from the painter’s daily life. They are usually quick notes of the natural that he takes for entertainment or as ideas prior to his paintings
The sculpture collection is composed of 289 works from different eras and mainly of Spanish origin that enriched the family’s home. Its origin is unknown, although there is evidence that some were gifts made to Sorolla himself. Pieces of Rodin, Troubetzkoy as well as friends of the artist such as Mariano Benlliure, Josep Clarà, Miguel Blay, José Capuz or his daughter, Elena Sorolla stand out.
The ceramic collection is a clear testimony of the painter’s taste for this type of element. This inclination could be due to the artist’s Levantine origins, as well as the constant trips he made to southern Spain to carry out his commission for the Hispanic Society, which led him to use ceramic tiles, plates and vases in the decoration of his own housing In addition, this collection offers a broad view of peninsular ceramics from the 15C to the 20C, with works by peers such as Daniel Zuloaga or Mariano Benlliure.
The jewels collection consists of 269 pieces, among which are popular jewels from different regions of Spain, with the Valencian jewelery being the one with the greatest presence. Likewise, it also includes pieces of Berber origin as a result of family trips,
The textile collection is mainly made up of those pieces acquired by Sorolla in his travels for the commission of the Hispanic Society and which mostly correspond to traditional clothing from different regions of the 19C and 20C. It also includes the family’s household furniture and other fragments of ancient fabrics acquired by the painter during his life
The furniture collection consists of 184 pieces that served the family in their home and that are mostly preserved in situ. As the tastes of the time marked, this is characterized by its eclectic character, in this way you can find furniture of varied invoice dating from the twelfth century, as well as other elements of modernist cut such as lamps that light different rooms, designed by Louis Confort Tiffany, or the Arabic-style canopy bed that was in the painter’s studio.
The photo collection is the most extensive in the Sorolla Museum, with 7167 photographs of original paper copies, original negatives or modern positives. This photographic collection is due, in large measure, to Antonio García Peris, Sorolla’s father-in-law, who portrayed family members multiple times. The painter himself would also use photography as an instrument of documentation for some of his projects, as commissioned by the Hispanic Society. Similarly, in this collection you can find works by other famous photographers of the time, such as Christian Frazen, Ragel, Laurent, Campúa or Kaulak among others.
In the Sorolla Museum’s collections there are valuable personal belongings to both the painter and the family. These respond to different natures, so that we can find from Sorolla’s own belongings, such as their brushes, palettes or medals obtained in different national and international exhibitions, as well as a collection of metalwork and other glass objects from different eras.
The Ministry of Culture and Sports of Spain on the Sorolla museum : https://www.culturaydeporte.gob.es/msorolla/inicio.html
The Ministry of Culture and Sports of Spain on ticketing and events for the Sorolla museum: https://museosorolla.sacatuentrada.es/en
The Madrid tourist office on the Sorolla museum : https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/sorolla-museum
There you go folks, this is a very nice little museum loaded with wonderful things to see and admire, highly recommended when in Madrid.I know we will be back again! Again, hope you have enjoy the post on the Sorolla museum of Madrid , part II !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 