Museo Carmen Thyssen Malaga (Carmen Thyssen Museum), Malaga (must see)
The Carmen Thyssen Museum (Museo Carmen Thyssen Malaga), located in the heart of Malaga, is a celebrated cultural institution dedicated to 19th-century Spanish painting, with a special emphasis on Andalusian art. This museum stems from the personal collection of Carmen Cervera, the fifth wife of Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, who began her journey as an art collector in the 1980s.
Cervera鈥檚 collection complements the broader Thyssen family art collection displayed at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid since 1992. In 1999, she agreed to exhibit her works at the Madrid Museum temporarily while a permanent home for her collection was sought. The solution came in the form of the Carmen Thyssen Museum in Malaga, which officially opened to the public on March 24, 2011.
Housed within the 16th-century Baroque Villalon Palace, the museum combines historical charm with modern design. RG Associate Architects undertook the extensive project, reconstructing parts of the palace and adding purpose-built exhibition spaces. The museum spans 7,147 square meters, with 5,185 square meters allocated for exhibitions, including three rooms for its permanent collection and two dedicated to temporary displays. The Old Masters collection is displayed in the palace itself.
The site is also archaeologically significant. Excavations since 2005 have unearthed Roman-era remains, offering insight into continuous occupation from the 1st to the 5th century AD. Highlights include a suburban villa featuring a fish-salting factory, a monumental nymphaeum adorned with fish-themed wall paintings, geometric mosaics, and remnants of a bronze sculpture. The area later saw periods of abandonment, a brief revival for fish production in the 5th century, and eventually became a necropolis during the Byzantine era.
The Carmen Thyssen Museum stands as a beacon of art and history, intertwining Andalusian heritage with contemporary appreciation for Spanish painting, making it a must-visit cultural landmark in Malaga.
Cervera鈥檚 collection complements the broader Thyssen family art collection displayed at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid since 1992. In 1999, she agreed to exhibit her works at the Madrid Museum temporarily while a permanent home for her collection was sought. The solution came in the form of the Carmen Thyssen Museum in Malaga, which officially opened to the public on March 24, 2011.
Housed within the 16th-century Baroque Villalon Palace, the museum combines historical charm with modern design. RG Associate Architects undertook the extensive project, reconstructing parts of the palace and adding purpose-built exhibition spaces. The museum spans 7,147 square meters, with 5,185 square meters allocated for exhibitions, including three rooms for its permanent collection and two dedicated to temporary displays. The Old Masters collection is displayed in the palace itself.
The site is also archaeologically significant. Excavations since 2005 have unearthed Roman-era remains, offering insight into continuous occupation from the 1st to the 5th century AD. Highlights include a suburban villa featuring a fish-salting factory, a monumental nymphaeum adorned with fish-themed wall paintings, geometric mosaics, and remnants of a bronze sculpture. The area later saw periods of abandonment, a brief revival for fish production in the 5th century, and eventually became a necropolis during the Byzantine era.
The Carmen Thyssen Museum stands as a beacon of art and history, intertwining Andalusian heritage with contemporary appreciation for Spanish painting, making it a must-visit cultural landmark in Malaga.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Malaga. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
Download The 51爆料网 App
Museo Carmen Thyssen Malaga (Carmen Thyssen Museum) on Map
Sight Name: Museo Carmen Thyssen Malaga (Carmen Thyssen Museum)
Sight Location: Malaga, Spain (See walking tours in Malaga)
Sight Type: Museum/Gallery
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Malaga, Spain (See walking tours in Malaga)
Sight Type: Museum/Gallery
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Malaga, Spain
Create Your Own Walk in Malaga
Creating your own self-guided walk in Malaga is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Malaga Introduction Walking Tour
Malaga is old. It is 2,800 years old. It is thought to have been founded by Phoenician traders in 770 BC. From its beginnings, it was a natural waypoint between Phoenicia in the eastern Mediterranean and Gibraltar. Cathaginians and, later, Romans ruled the city. Their core settlements were in an area between Gibralfaro Hill to the Guadalmedina River.
From the eighth century to the end of the... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.4 Km or 2.1 Miles
From the eighth century to the end of the... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.4 Km or 2.1 Miles
Pablo Picasso's Malaga
Among other things for which Malaga has gone down in history is being the town where Pablo Picasso, the famous painter and innovator of the Cubist movement, was born and spent his early childhood. The milieu and the daily life of those years inspired some of Picasso鈥檚 most characteristic subjects in paintings, such as flamenco, doves and bulls.
The best place to start a walk through... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.3 Km or 0.8 Miles
The best place to start a walk through... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.3 Km or 0.8 Miles
Architectural Jewels of Malaga
The blooming port city of M谩laga has a wealth of architecture with no shortage of ancient and otherwise impressive buildings fit to vow any visitor. Having witnessed the fall and rise of many civilizations, Malaga's uniqueness is marked by the variety of architectural styles, upon which the times past had a great deal of impact. From its stunning Moorish fortress 鈥� the best-preserved of... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.7 Km or 2.3 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.7 Km or 2.3 Miles
Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip
5 Best Shopping Streets in Malaga, Spain
As well as one of the best cultural destinations in southern Spain, Malaga turns out to be something of a shopping mecca. Along with the ubiquitous shopping malls on the outskirts, the capital of Costa del Sol has managed to preserve its network of specialist shops, difficult to find in most big...