Museo Sorolla

On Friday morning Gregorio and I went to the Museo Sorolla here in Madrid.

Museo Sorolla

Joaquín Sorolla Bastida was born in Valencia, Spain in 1863.  The museum is in the artist's impressive-sized house, which he moved to in 1890 with his wife and children.

Stairway, Museo Sorolla

Nearly all of the furniture and objects inside the museum are the very ones that filled the house when Sorolla lived there.

Studio on first floor, Mueso Sorolla

I was drawn to the globe sitting on a desk in Sorolla's studio (as seen above), and was quite excited when I saw what cities had been labeled near the Great Lakes.  The names are only partially there, but can you make them out?

Madison and Milwaukee labeled on Sorolla's globe

The first floor featured many joyful seaside paintings, while the second floor displayed paintings the artist had made in Granada.

"Sail Boat"
First floor, Museo Sorolla
Photo taken from canvaz.com

Second floor Granada exhibit, Museo Sorolla

For me, the Granada paintings had a less than cheerful tone, so I was eager to go back downstairs again.  Back on the first floor, the dining room was one of the last rooms we saw before leaving the house.

Dining room, Museo Sorolla

Outside, the three-story house is surrounded by gorgeous gardens and small fountains.

Museo Sorolla

Gardens, Museo Sorolla

It was a great, inexpensive way to spend one of my Friday mornings, and I would recommend it to others.  I liked the smaller size of the museum; I didn't get that overwhelming feeling that I had when I went to the Prado.  I'm really not very enthusiastic about art museums in the first place, so the fact that Museo Sorolla is in the artist's house with his original furniture and belongings made it a lot more interesting for me.

IF YOU GO...
Where: c/ General Martínez Campos, 37
Metro: Rubén Darío (Línea 5), Gregorio Marañón (Líneas 7, 10)
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday: 9.30 - 20.00, Sundays and holidays: 10.00 - 15.00 (Note: Closed on Mondays)
Cost: Free on Sundays!  Otherwise, normal admission is 3 euro.
Everyone under the age of 18 gets in free, and if you're a member of the European Union you can get in free if you're over 65 or a university student.
FYI: We saw a total of three different school groups of youngsters during our short visit (some were waiting outside to get picked up by a bus, another was in the gardens ready to enter the museum, and the third was inside with us).  I was only in the same room as that last group once, then somehow never saw (or heard) them again.  But just know that you could very well be distracted accompanied by young Spanish children, as the museum seems to be a popular choice for elementary school field trips.