Mad About Madrid

Autumn Exhibitions in Madrid Museums

There are quite a few good exhibitions going on in Madrid at this time of year. Here is a breakdown of the temporary exhibitions from the Prado, Reina Sofía and Thyssen Museums and the Juan March Foundation.

Museo de arte Thyssen-Bornemisza

Dürer and Cranach. Art and Humanism in Renaissance Germany

Dates: October 9th, 2007 - January 6th, 2008

Reina Sofía
This museum has a few temporary exhibitions this Autumn, including:

Gustavo Torner - September 11th, 2007 - December 16th, 2007
Paul Rego - September 26th - December 30th, 2007
Andy Goldsworthy - October 3rd, 2007 - January 21st, 2008
Jano - La doble cara de la fotografía. October 10th - December 20th, 2007

Prado Musuem

The 19th century in the Prado including:
Goya and Neo-classicism
History Painting
The end of the century

Dates:  October 31th, 2007 - April 20th, 2008

Fundación Juan March

The Abstraction of Landscape

Dates: October 5th, 2007 - 13th January, 2008

2007 Festival de Otoño

For the 24th year running the Festival de Otoño returns to Madrid. A combination of music, theatre, dance and circus from around the world will entertain visitors and Madrileños for the coming 5 weeks. The event runs from the 15th October to the 18th November and is held is venues across the city.

The Theatre companies who are represented include: Britain's National Theatre, La Comédie-Française, Piccolo Teatro di Milano, Josep Maria Mestres.

Dance companies attending include: Les Ballets C. de la B., Compañía Blanca Li, Toneelhuis. Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Compañía Carlotta Sagna.

On the music front Caetano Veloso, Companyia Carles Santos, David Sylvian, Philip Glass and Compagnia dell' Ambra will all be performing.

For more information, visit the Festival de Otoño website.

Shameless Advertising!!

Madrid's Galleries Open at Night

As a forerunner to next week's 'Noche en Blanco' (White Night), Madrid's art galleries will be opening their doors tomorrow night until midnight. An initiative of Arte Madrid over 40 galleries will participate. For more details download their pdf document. More details on Noche en Blanco will follow this week. In the meantime you may want to check out Damian Corrigan's Noche en Blanco page on About.com.

Veranos de la Villa - Madrid's Summer Festival

I must apologise to regular visitors to this blog for not having written an article for a while but I have been quite busy with work and developing my other website - Marketing Tom. Because of that I failed to write up about one of the big events in Madrid's calendar, the Veranos de la Villa festival. This festival runs from the 2nd July until the 26th August and offers visitors and Madrileños the ability to see around 100 shows covering music, theatre, dance, circus events and zarzuela in some of the most important venues around the city. The Sabatini gardens (next to Palacio Real), Conde Duque, Plaza Mayor, Centro Cultural de la Villa and Teatro Español are just some of those locations.

Here's a brief selection of singers who will perform - Liza Minelli, Laurie Anderson, Carlos Núñez, Andy & Lucas, David de María, Antonio Vega, Patricia Kraus and Mercedes Ferrer, Diego el Cigala, Yossou N’ Dour. Flamenco artists include: José Mercé, Carmen Linares, José Menese, Rafaela Carrasco, Manuel Molina, La Negra and Esperanza Fernández. The Patio Conde Duque will host the Boston Ballet and the Legend Lin Dance Theatre and Gershwin's Porgy and Bess is performed by the New York Harlem Theatre.

Classsic Spanish plays like Calderón de la Barca's Casa con dos puertas mala es de guardar and Shakespeare's Cymbelline will be performed in the Jardines de Galileo.

All in all, there's something for everyone.

For more (much more) information, take a look at the Veranos de la Villa microsite from EsMadrid.

Palacio de Linares to Remain Open Until October

One of Madrid's most emblematic palaces, the Palacio de Linares, will keep its doors open until October. The Palace, which can be found on one corner of the Plaza de Cibeles,  dates from the 19th Century and is well-known for its beautiful architecture and exquisite interior. It also has an interesting history and is said to even have its own ghosts. The story of the palace and its owners is actually very sad. The palace was built by the Marqués de Linares for both himself and his wife. His father had educated him to choose a wife without consideration of her financial or social class. This he did and he married the tobacconist's daughter. What he didn't know was that his father had had a relationship with the mother and his wife was the result!  He only found out when his dying father, God bless him!, sent him a letter to inform him of the situation.

The Pope at the time, Leo XIII had to issue a papal bull which allowed them to live together but in chastity. In order to forget the shame the Marqués threw all his energy into the building of his palace, where budgets and time had no constraints. The Marqués and his wife told the architect that they would like the Palace to be split in two, with him taking the ground floor and the wife the upper floor. What is interesting is that they didn't have a kitchen, but instead relied on food being delivered from Lhardy, a Madrid restaurant which still operates today!

Opening Times
Saturdays: 11am to 1pm
Sundays: 11am to 1pm
Mondays: 3pm to 5pm

Cost
6 Euros for Adults; 2 Euros for Retired people; students 3 Euros and Under 12's Free.

Website
Casa de América

Related Links
Photos on 20Minutos Website
Walk the Paseo del Prado and Paseo de Recoletos

Van Gogh Exhibition Opens in Madrid

From tomorrow, 12th June 2007, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Musuem will be exhibiting paintings created by Vincent Van Gogh in the last 3 months of his life at Auvers-sur-Oise, France. He painted a total of 72 paintings in 70 days and even painted until the last day of his life! This exhibition brings together 30 works of art - 27 paintings and 3 drawings and will run until the 16th September, 2007.

If you'd like to know more about Vincent Van Gogh's life, and final few months, go look where everyone else looks: Wikipedia.

Exhibition of Spanish Postwar Publicity and Propaganda

If you're interested in Spanish 'Modern' history, you may want to head over to the Círculo de Bellas Artes for its latest exhibition: Post War: Propaganda and Publicity. On show are over 200 posters and other memorabilia which show the close connection of the Franco regime with business. The exhibition runs until the 20th May.

New Prado Extension Unveiled

Having spent 152 million Euros on developing the new extension to the Prado Museum, yesterday the new "wing" of the Prado was opened by the Spanish culture minister Carmen Calvo. Designed by the architect Rafael Moneo, it adds an extra 22,000 square metres to the great museum. One of the main focal points will be the cloister of Los Jerónimos church (found next door) which was dismantled, and re-assembled, piece-by-piece.

The extension is open to the public from the 28th April, 2007. The picture above is from an album of Gorka Lejarcegi and found on El Pais's website. As yet, you will find nothing on the absolutely crappy and pitiful Prado Museum website - though you may in time! Having spent this much money, it doesn't even make it their news section.

The clip below is from 20 Minutos:

Madrid's Easter Programme 2007

If you're off to Madrid for Easter, you may want to take a look at the range of processions and concerts that the city council has put on for its citizens. The following link takes you to the EsMadrid site where you can get more information.

A Selection of Bullfighting Blogs

I was just doing some surfing around local Madrid blogs, including Madrid Me Mata, esmadriz! and La Bitacora de Moeh, when I stumbled upon a blog roll on Nuevo Periodismo which linked to bullfighting blogs. For some strange reason I had never thought that people would blog about bullfighting, but there again why wouldn't they?

On these sites people blog about all things related to bullfighting, from the bullfights to the people who go, to the people involved in the business. Some of the images on these sites are quite stunning - and I don't just mean the ones from the Plaza but also the ones where the bulls and horse riders are in the campo.

Here is a selection that I found on there.    
* A los toros    
* Alicia Ureña    
* Cornadas para todos
* Desde el tendido 6    
* Desde la charrería (on MySpace)
* La Tienta    
* Los toros de A. Hervás    
* Taurofilia    
* Torear

On a related subject, there will be a new film coming out in the Summer on the most famous bullfighter of them all, Manolete. Directed by  Menno Meyes, it will star Adrien Brody as Manolete and the cast includes Penélope Cruz, Santiago Segura and Juan Echanove (household names in Spain).

Diario de Madrid Exhibition

Madrid, al paso. Fotografías del Diario de Madrid realizadas entre 1926 y 1971 is an exhibition of photographs which appeared in the Madrid newspaper Diario de Madrid (and some which didn't get to be published) between 1926 and 1971. They give a fascinating insight into the people who lived in the city and the changes that have taken place over the course of this period.

It is divided up into 4 subject areas: the city, business, the streets and the people (the man in the street and personalities). Some of the pictures are really interesting - such as Salvador Dalí eating food, a horse and cart being used in construction near the Palacio Real, trams going through the Plaza Mayor and a waiters' race complete with wine bottles and glasses! The one with Gary Cooper giving crowds a fascist salute looks a bit suspect, though.

The exhibition includes 170 photos and runs from the 13th March to the 29th April; admission is free. 

Location
Fundación Diario Madrid (C/ Larra 14).
Times
Mon - Sat: 10.30 am to 8.30 pm & Sun10.30 am to 2.30 pm

39th National Stamp Fair in Madrid

If you know Madrid at all, you will know that the Plaza Mayor (on Sundays), and the shops around this square, are a favourite haunt of philatelists. Well, from the 7th to the 11th March, 2007 the 39th National Stamp Fair in Madrid will be held in the Plaza Mayor. There will be 21 commercial stalls selling stamps and coins and a special exhibition displaying stamps from the Scout movement. The Real Casa de la Moneda (Spanish Royal Mint) will also be displaying coins and stamps - these are usually held in their (Madrid) museum. It will be possible to purchase a coin to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.

Current Exhibitions in Madrid

Here's a quick breakdown of the exhibitions going at the moment at some of Madrid' more well-known museums and galleries.

Prado Museum
Spanish Drawings from the Hispanic Society of America. The exhibition is split into four main sections and covers work from the 16th century through to Goya - indeed one section is devoted to Goya. The exhibition runs until the 4th March, 2007.

Tintoretto - this exhibition, which is sponsored by the Consejería de Cultura de la Comunidad de Madrid, consists of 70 works by the Italian painter - all of which have been loaned by leading European and American collections. The exhibition runs from the 30th January to the 13th May, 2007.

Reina Sofía

The Reina Sofía is showing the works of the American artist Chuck Close from the 6th February to the 7th May, 2007.

It is also showing an interesting collection, titled Guerra y Revistas (Magazines and War), whose objective is to show how magazines were used, like posters, as propaganda tools in the Spanish Civil War. It runs from the 16th January to the 30th April, 2007.

Thyssen Museum

The Mirror and the Mask: Portraiture in the Age of Picasso. According to the PR blurb from the Thyssen this exhibition "looks at the survival and transformation of the portrait in avant-garde art between 1890 and 1990". It includes works from (guess who?) Picasso, Gauguin, Cezanne, Juan Gris, Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud and many others. It runs from the 6th February to the 20th May, 2007. (Note: some of the works will be shown in the la Fundación Caja Madrid, close to c/Arenal)

Fundación Juan March
The Juan March is putting on an exhibition by the American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein . It comprises of 97 works of art, created between 1996 and 1997 and is organised by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation. It will run from the 2nd February to the 20th May, 2007.

December Suggestions from Metrópoli

Metrópoli has a really good guide to what you can do in Madrid this December - it is in Spanish, though. They have come up with 150 suggestions for what you can do in the coming weeks - eat, drink, be merry and much more. Interestingly, they have broken them down into 15 categories - based on different types of personality. These range from the sportsman (woman), the art lover, the over 65's, under 18's, the shopaholics, singles, and a good few more. There are some really cool suggestions here - there is even a category for those who think they're cool!!

Goya Exhibition Opens in Madrid

Much like they did when the Capitan Alatriste film was first screened, the Casa de la Panadería is putting on an exhibition to mark the release of a new film. This new exhibition coincides with the premier of the film Goya's Ghosts, which was filmed in Madrid and is actually in English not Spanish. The stars of the film are Javier Bardem and Natalie Portman.

The exhibition will display costumes from the film, pictures of the filming  and descriptions of the age that Goya lived in - he spent most of his life in Madrid. The exhibition runs from the 9th November to the 5th January, 2007. Opening times are: 10 am to 2pm and 4pm to 8 pm. Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays they are open from 10 am to 2 pm. For those unfamiliar with the Casa de la Panadería it is the colourful (and oldest) building in the Plaza Mayor.

The Prado to Open Up At Night

During the months of October, November and December, the Prado Musuem will leave its doors open for a little longer, and for free, for youngsters between the ages of 15 and 25. Well, not every day or every week but the last Fridays of the month!  Starting on the 27th October and continuing on the 24th November and the 29th December it will. And what's more art experts will be on han to explain the works of art on display.

The Prado Museum website doesn't have any information on this initiative - which doesn't surprise as it is such an embarassingly bad website. I just don't understand how the ministry of culture won't bring it into the 21st Century.

Changing the Guard at the Royal Palace

On Saturday 21st, October 2006 they will be changing the guard at Madrid's Royal Palace. However, instead of soldiers dressed in modern, military uniform Madrid will turn the clock back a couple of centuries and military personnel from the three armed services will dress in costumes from the era and will be accompanied by carriages from the Patrimonio Nacional, gun carriages and military marches. The event will be presided over (spot the direct translation!) by the King's eldest sister, the Infanta Pilar de Borbón.

The event will take place at 12 pm.

Festival de Otoño

The Festival de Otoño bills itself as:

one of the most important theatrical arts events in spain

It goes on for around 5 weeks and features national (Spanish) and international acts from around the world who perform theatre, dance and music. The event kicks off on the 11th October and runs until the 9th November, 2006. There is an English version of the website which is probably better than the Spanish - it uses plain html rather than the damned, annoying Flash!

Feria de Arte Independiente de Madrid Opens

The Feria de Arte Independiente de Madrid or (Independent Art Fair of Madrid) opens its doors today 28th September, 2006 and runs until the 1st October. The objective of the fair is quite clear: to support and promote independent artists, whose art is exhibited without an y intermediaries (sounds like I translated that one directly!!).

The exhibition (fair) takes place in the Pabellón de La Pipa del Recinto Ferial de la casa de Campo de Madrid, where over 200 artists from countries as diverse as Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Portugal, Canada, Israel, China and Argentina and, obviously, Spain will display their art. Each year one country acts as the "invted country" and this year it falls to South Africa, whose ambassador will open the fair.

Opening times
12 p.m to 9 p.m

Cost
6 Euros

Location
Casa de Campo
Metro: Casa de Campo

Hay Festival Segovia

According to Wiki:

Since 1988, Hay-on-Wye has been the venue for a literary festival, sponsored by The Guardian newspaper, which draws a claimed 80,000 visitors over ten days at the beginning of June to see and hear big literary names from all over the world.

However, from the 21st-24th September, 2006 the festival will decamp to Spain for the Hay Festival Segovia. They have quite a lineup organised for the event, including Bob Geldof, Martin Amis, Ian Mc Ewan, Antonio Muñoz Molina, Ian Gibson, Doris Lessing, Fernando Savater, Chris Stewart and Vikram Seth will be amogst the speakers. There will be a concert by Bob Geldof and various film screenings. If you've never been to the unbelievably beautiful city of Segovia, this will be a fantastic opportunity.

Purchasing Tickets
Click here to buy tickets over the Internet >

Buy tickets over the phone from 1st September: +34 902101212

(9:00 am- 9:00 pm)

Ticket Prices
  7€ per event
3€ per screening

Related Article
Segovia - Alcázar , Aqueduct, Cathedral and great food

Picasso Exhibitions Extended

Here is a press release that I came upon today, regarding the Picasso exhibtions in Madrid. It should prove of interest to visitors to Madrid over the next 6 weeks:

Two key exhibitions showing works by Pablo Picasso at Madrid's Prado and Reina Sofia museums are being extended owing to huge demand, the culture ministry announced. ADVERTISEMENT The "Picasso, tradition and avant-garde" shows displaying some 100 pieces by the artist will remain open until September 10 at the Prado and until September 25 at Reina Sofia. The exhibitions, which opened on June 5 and were originally due to end on September 3, have attracted 450,000 visitors.
[Source: AFP]

Festival of San Lorenzo de El Escorial Opens

On the 3rd July, 2006 the Teatro Auditorio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial will open its doors, coinciding with the inaugural Festival de San Lorenzo de El Escorial. For those who don't know San Lorenzo de El Escorial is a town situated around 45 kilometres outside Madrid, at the foot of the Sierra de Guadarrama Mountain Range, and  home of the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. The complex houses a palace, monastery, library and museum and was built by King Phillip II of Spain. Its Royal Pantheon contains the remains of most of Spain's rulers from the last 5 centuries.

San Lorenzo de El Escorial is a quiet town set in beautiful surroundings and is the ideal retreat for Madrileños wanting to get away from the intense heat of Madrid. It is also the new home of the Festival de San Lorenzo de El Escorial, whose ambitions extend to being the premier event of its kind in Southern Europe. Judging by the headline performers this year, they could quite easily achieve that in a short period of time.

Here is a breakdown of the top international and national artists appearing from the 3rd July until the 1st August, 2006.

Ricardo Mutti opens the festival with works from Giuseppe Verdi played by Orchestra e Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

The English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir and Sir John Eliot Gardiner perform Mozart on the 4th July.

The Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, under the direction of Víctor Pablo Pérez, play Mozart and Martín y Soler on the 13th and 14th July.

Rinaldo Alessandrini and his Concerto Italiano dedicates the 18th July to a session of Monteverdi madrigals.

On the 7th, 8th and 9th July the Royal Ballet Covent Garden under the choreography of Kenneth MacMillan and two (rare Spanish) performances by Tamara Rojo (on the 7th and 8th July), perform Romeo and Juliet.

The London Symphony Orchestra and the Comunidad de Madrid Choir, under the direction of Sir Colin Davis, perform Mozart's Opera, the Magic Flute on the 20th, 22nd and 24th July.

For lovers of Zarzuela, there's an opportunity to see the Orchestra and Choir of the Community of Madrid perform Noche de Verano en la Verbena de la Paloma on the 30th and 31st July and the 1st August.

Related Articles
Festival of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (official website).
San Lorenzo de El Escorial and Valle de los Caidos, an article published a couple of years back on this site.
Un festival nuevo para un teatro de estreno (published in El Mundo's Metropoli magazine).
Ópera, ballet y zarzuela para inaugurar el teatro de El Escorial (interesting article from El Pais)

PHotoEpaña 2006

PHotoEpaña 2006 is a major photograhpic festival which takes place yearly around the capital. The official press release states that :

The exhibitions showcase new tendencies in the world of photography and the visual arts, attracting both general and specialist audiences. They are the ideal opportunity for discovering the latest photographic projects, videos and installations produced by leading national and international photographers and visual artists. The exhibitions are complemented by parallel activities such as Campus PHE, which offers a series of workshops by great masters of photography; Cine PHE; professional seminars; public screenings of audiovisuals, portfolio reviews, etc.

The Casa de  América, Centro Culutral de Conde Duque, Círculo de Bellas Artes, the Real Jardín Botánico and the Thyssen Museum are just a selction of the official places where you can view some of the exhibition. There are also a large number of 'unofficial' places where you can view photographs - mainly galleries. For a complete roundup of the photographers and venues, visit the PHotoEpaña 2006 site. 

Suma Flamenca - Madrid Community's First Flamenco Festival

From today, 30th May, 2006, until the 11th June, the Comunity of Madrid is putting on its First Flamenco Festival, called Suma Flamenca. Events and shows associated with the festival will take place in 9 of the Community's town councils and will obviously include the centre of the capital. For more details of what will be going on over the coming days, visit the Metropoli site or  Guia del Ocio. Sorry for the brevity of this article but I am preparing to go to this event (therefore, posting will be light for the next few days!).

Feria del Libro Madrid

Didn't have a chance to write this up last week as I was in Cambridge (UK) but for those literary types amongst you, you may be interested to know about Madrid's Feria del Libro (or book fair). It started on Friday and goes on until the 11th June, 2006 in Madrid's Retiro Park. It is quite some event with 300 events, 355 stands and 5 pavilions covering this open space of the park.  Even if you don't read Spanish (which is obviously the main language!), it is quite nice to walk around and have a look at the variety of stand on display.

Madrid's Museums Open Up At Night on 20th May

The night of the museums is a European intitiative in which more than 1200 musuems across Europe will open their doors 'after dark'  on the 20th May, 2006 and where visitors will be able to listen to music, theatre and go on guided visits. In Madrid, the Thyssen Museum will be open from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. In the Museo del Prado a group of youngster will be able to answer visitor question between 8.30 and 10.30 p.m and the museum will remain open untl 1 a.m - entry will be free from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m 

The Museo del Traje will be open from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. with a jazz band (Missing Stompers) and entry will be free until they reach their quota.  At the Museo Nacional de Antropología they will have a "night of repercussion" with an African percussion band, Babacar and the Diengoz, playing. Again entry is free until they fill the quota, whilst the Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas will open its doors until 10.30 p.m. The Museo Sorolla will be open from 9 p.m. to 11.30 p.m

The Museo Arqueológico Nacional will have an Andalucian Reminiscences night with guides , theatrical guidse literary stories and a nocturnal concert with Araba and Andalucian music in the garden.

International Day (and Night!) of the Museum

Today is the International Day of Museums and many of Madrid's Museums are offering free entry. For those who are interested, the Prado Museum will be taking part in the Night of the Museums and will offer free entry to some of its art halls from 8.30 p.m to 1 a.m.

San Isidro Festival 2006 in Madrid

This week sees the start of Madrid's famous San Isidro festival. I will be writing a report about it in the next day or so but in the interim I would like to point you in the direction of these two websites, where full details of events and activities can be found:

San Isidro Festival (EsMadrid)
San Isidro Festival (Munimadrid)

Madrid Flickr Badge

I will shortly be adding a Flickr Badge to the sidebar navigation of this site so that people will be able to view a wide selection of regularly updated, Madrid-related photographs. I have actually selected all Flickr photos that are tagged with the word: Madrid. If you're planning a trip to Madrid, you may if you haven't already want to set up an account on Flickr.

www.flickr.com

This is a Flickr badge showing public photos from Flickr tagged with madrid. Make your own badge here.

Easter Week Madrid 2006

I don't need to tell you that Easter Week is the most important part of the Christian calendar, or  do I? Well, in Madrid you will find an array of events going on through next week and into the early part of the following. Walking in and out of some churches last week I could see that the statues had been cleaned and the silverware was shining ready for the yearly processions which will fill the centre of the capital next week.

The key days are Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. On each of the three days there will be processions through the streets - people will carry statues from the churches usually representing the key passages of Easter and they will be accompanied by bands and the penitent (in robes and hooded). The tone of each day is different, with Friday being the most solemn day. Probably the best place to go to see the procession is in and around Plaza Mayor and c/Mayor.

Over Easter you will also find concerts at the various churches. EsMadrid has some quite comprehensive details on their website.

You may also want to download a more detailed pdf document from the Madrid Municpal Council website.

National Stamp Fair Opens in the Plaza Mayor

Today, Spain´s Minister for Culture opened the Feria Nacional del Sello 2006 in Madrid´s Plaza Mayor. A large marquee has been erected in one area of the square where you can visit commercial stands, those by Correos (Spain´s postal service), the Casa de la Moneda (Royal Mint), some stands by young collectors, amongst others. Entrance to the event is free and it will run until April, 2nd.

Opening Times
10.30 a.m to 2.30 p.m. and 4.30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Exhibition of Fra Angelico at the Thyssen

From the 7th March to the 14th May, the focus of a new exhibition at the Thyssen Museum will be the painter Fra Angelico's work: the Virgin of the Humility and the Virgin enthroned with the Christ Child. In addition to these masterpieces, the exhibition also provides the opportunity to see twelve further panel paintings normally on display in the Thyssen Museum’s galleries or in the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, in Barcelona.

Aside from Fra Angelico’s The Madonna of Humility, the exhibition includes a further twelve Italian panel paintings of the Trecento and Quattrocento by leading artists from the most important artistic centres.

Opening Times
Tuesday-Sunday: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Entry Charge
Free

Otto Dix Exhibition at the Fundación Juan March

From the 10th February to the 14th May, 2006 the Fundación Juan March will put on an exhibtion dedicated to the German painter Otto Dix. The Foundation says that it will be the first major exhibition devoted to the artist in Spain. Otto Dix lived throughout some of the major events of the last century: the Weimar Republic, the rise of the Nazis and two World Wars - he fought and was seriously wounded in the first world war. According to Wikipedia:

When the Nazis came to power in Germany, they regarded Dix as a degenerate artist and had him sacked from his post as an art teacher at the Dresden Academy. He later moved to Lake Constance. Dix's paintings The Trench and War cripples were exhibited in the Nazi exhibition of degenerate art, Entartete Kunst. They were later burned.

The exhibition includes 84 of the artist's works: 35 oils, 27 gouaches and watercolours and 22 drawings, which cover the period 1914 to 1969. On display are his triptych Metropolis of 1927-28,which is considered Dix’s most important work, together with War (1932). The Juan March will also be holding conferences on Degenerate Art: The Repression of Culture During the Third Reich on 28th February and on the 2nd, 7th and 9th March (7.30 p.m.).

Visiting Hours
Monday-Saturday: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday/Holiday: 10 a.m to 2 p.m.

Free Guided Visits
Wednesday: 11.00 a.m. - 1.30 p.m.
Friday: 4.30 p.m. - 7.15 p.m.

Christmas Nativity Scenes and Markets in Madrid

This year quite an extensive programme of Christmas activities has been organised by Madrid's City Council. I will break the information down into various articles over the next couple of days.
Christmas Market in the Plaza Mayor - the main Christmas market in the city and a place where you will find all things related to Christmas, from trees and tinsel to nativity scenes and christmas trees.  It runs up until the 31st December. And don't forget to look out for the wonderful Christmas lights that adorn the Plaza.

Madrid offers a wonderful selection of 'Belénes' or nativity scenes which you will find in museums and churches across the whole city at Christmas time - they really are quite spectacular. Here are a selection of some of the most popular ones:

Municipal Museum Plaza de la Villa.
Created by José Mayo (this will be his third year) it occupies an area of 70 square metres and includes Herod's Palace and a Hebrew mill.
Open from 7th Dec – 6th Jan: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; 24th and 31st Dec and 1st Jan: 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Madrid City Council
Napolitan Nativity Scene
Tues-Fri: 9.30 a.m – 8 p.m Sat, Sun and 24th and 31st December: 10 a.m – 2 p.m.

Royal Palace
Naptolitan Figures from the 18th Century
13th Dec - 8th Jan. Mon-Sat: 9.30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sundays and Fiestas 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Address: c/ Fuencarral, 78

Other highlights include:

Almudena Cathedral
Designed by Father Félix Castedo
25th December – 22nd January 9 a.m. – 10.30 p.m. 
Address: c/ Bailén, 10

Basílica de San Francisco Grande
24th December – 7th January
Mon, 8 – 11 a.m Tues - Sun 8 a.m. - 12.30 p.m & 4 – 6.30 p.m.
Plaza de San Francisco

Real Iglesia de San Ginés
Barroque Nativity Scene 17th and 18th Century figures Designed by Cayetano Ramírez and Bernardo Toribio
24th Dec – 8th Jan 9 a.m – 1 p.m. and 6 p.m – 9 p.m.

Real Iglesia de San Andrés
Neapolitan Nativity Scene in Ivory from 18th Century
1st Dec - 18th Jan
Address: Plaza de San Andrés, 1

Real Monasterio de la Encarnación 
Nativity Scenes from the 19th century and the Madrid School
13th Dec - 8th Jan
Tues, Wed, Thurs and Sat: 10.30 a.m. - 12.30 a.m & 4 - 5.30 p.m.; Fri: 10.30a.m - 12.30 p.m.; Sun: 11.30 a.m - 1.30 p.m.; Mon closed

History of Photography in Spain at the Círculo de Bellas Artes

From the 17th November until the 8th January, the Círculo de Bellas Artes will be holding a fascinating exhibition which charts the history of photography in Spain from 1839 until the 21st Century. It consists of 400 photographs, collected from over 100 national and international archives, which attempt to show the social and technological developments of the country over this period.

The Círculo de Bellas Ares has dedicated 4 rooms to the exhibition, each focusing on different periods: Sala Minerva, from the start of the Carlist wars (19th century); the Sala Goya, from the start of the 20th century up to the beginning of the Civil war; Sala Picasso, from the start of the Dictatorship until Democracy and the Sala Juana Mordó which displays a selection of photos from the earliest cameras to the latest digital cameras - over 30 of these early cameras will be on view.

If you decide to go, can I suggest that you have a cup of coffee in the beautiful Salón La Pecera.

Opening Times
Tues-Sat: 5pm-9pm
Sat and Sun: 11am-2pm
Entry Price
1 Euro

Tamara Rojo in Blancanieves (Snow White)

Having had its world premiere in Bilbao last week, the Ballet "Blancanieves" (Snow White) will première in Madrid's Teatro Albéniz on the 9th November and will run until the 13th November. The star of the show is Tamara Rojo, the principal dancer of the Royal Ballet Covent Garden. The Ballet is described as the first purely Spanish Ballet - the choreographer and stage manager is Ricardo Cué; the musical score is by Emilio Aragón who directs the Orquesta Sinfónica de la Comunidad de Madrid; the principal dancers are Spanish as are the costume and lighting designers. This is actually quite a rare opportunity to see Tamara Rojo dance in Spain - the last time was 5 years ago.

Dates: 9th - 13th November, 2005
Time: 8.30 p.m. (except Sunday: 7 p.m.)
Tickets: from 20 to 5 Euros - can be bought at the box office or from www.entradas.com (902 488 488)

Modern Realism Exhibition

Mimesis: Realismos Modernos (Modern Realism) is an exhibition, jointly arranged between the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Fundación Caja Madrid, which will display the diffusion of realism between the first and second word wars. It charts the development of Realism as something which started out strongly but which finised up weakened by economic, political and social problems.Here is what the press release has to say:

"This period saw a profound re-examination of the ideas and structures that had previously provided the basis of Western society, and Realism came to the fore as one of the main trends in modern art. In clear opposition to the subjective nature of the early 20th century avant-garde movements, Realist artists focused on representing the reality that surrounded them. To do so, they were obliged to develop a style appropriate to the new age and thus contributed to a better understanding of modern man."

The exhibition runs from the 11th October until the 8th January and includes work from André Derain, Otto Dix, Edward Hopper, José Gutiérrez Solana, Joan Miró, Balthus, Julio González and others.

Opening times
Thyssen: Tuesday to Sunday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Fundación Caja Madrid: Tuesday to Sunday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Entry Cost
Thyssen: 5 Euros (9 Euros includes General Admision)
Fundación Caja Madrid: FREE
Address
Thyssen: Paseo del Prado, 8 (Metro: Banco de España)
Fundación Caja Madrid: Plaza de San Martín, 1 (Metro: Sol)

Related Links
The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum

Fundación Juan March Celebrates 50 Years

The Fundación Juan March will open a new exhibition on Friday which will commemorate its 50 years in existence. The exhibition will bring together the work of some of the principal artists from the last century. It includes 60 works (51 paintings, 6 photographs and 3 sculptures) from artists such as Cezanne, Degas, Gauguin, Giacometti, Hockney, Kandinsky, Matisse, Miró, Monet, Picasso, Pollock and Warhol. Some of the pieces have been shown previously over the course of the last 3 years of holding 150 exhibitions in the centre.

New Reina Sofía Extension Opens

Last week the Queen of Spain, Doña Sofía, opened the new extensions of the Museo Reina Sofía. The project, which was designed by architect Jean Nouvel cost 90 million Euros and has added an extra 55% to the size of the museum. The Museo Reina Sofía forms part of Madrid's Golden Triangle (the others being the Museo Thysssen and the Prado) and houses some of the most important modernist art in the world - Picasso's famous painting "Guernica" is permanently exhibited here.

The Reina Sofía Museum now features two buildings: the old Sabatini building and the new Nouvel extension - making it one of the largest modern art museums in the world. Jean Nouvel has created 3 buildings - a temporary exhibition hall, a library, an auditorium and a restaurant - which are all contained under one huge canopy. The library currently has 100,000 books and can house up to 200,000, whilst the auditorium can seat up to 450 people.

The restaurant, called Arola, comes under the direction of Michelin 2-star chef Sergi Arola. Arola, who spent some 6 years at Ferrán Adrià's restaurant El Bulli (recently nominated #2 restaurant in the world), has split the eating area into 3 sections: a bar, café and restaurant; he would like to make sure that Arola is cheap and chic!

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