Art in Spain

The Prado in Madrid has one of the great collections in Europe, but don't miss the remarkable MNAC — it's filled with Catalonian art, most remarkably the 1000-year-old Romanesque frescoes removed from churches in remote regions for protection.

Vicente Albán, Quito series
Vicente Albán, Quito series

Vicente Albán’s series of paintings seeks to define Quito’s population as distinct racial types, all set against a lush natural landscape.

Juan de Pareja, <em>The Calling of Saint Matthew</em>
Juan de Pareja, The Calling of Saint Matthew

An extraordinary statement of freedom, Pareja includes his self-portrait in this famous biblical narrative.

Gil de Siloé, façade of San Gregorio, Valladolid
Gil de Siloé, façade of San Gregorio, Valladolid

The entrance to San Gregorio epitomizes some of the inventive, complex architectural forms present on the Iberian Peninsula in the 15th century

The Painted Apse of Sant Climent, Taüll, with Christ in Majesty
The Painted Apse of Sant Climent, Taüll, with Christ in Majesty

Since the Middle Ages, the wall paintings from Sant Climent, Taull have dazzled, enchanted, and captured the imaginations of visitors from across the world.

The Mosque of Bāb al-Mardūm (the Church of Santa Cruz), Toledo
The Mosque of Bāb al-Mardūm (the Church of Santa Cruz), Toledo

The Mosque of Bāb al-Mardūm—and its conversion into a church—embodies the multi-religious reality of medieval Spain.

Colony of Augusta Emerita, Mérida
Colony of Augusta Emerita, Mérida

The colony of Augusta Emerita, which became present-day Mérida in Estremadura, was founded in 25 B.C. at the end of the Spanish Campaign and was the capital of Lusitania.

The Cistercian Poblet Monastery
The Cistercian Poblet Monastery

This Cistercian abbey in Catalonia is one of the largest in Spain.

Royal monastery of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
Royal monastery of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe

The monastery is an outstanding repository of four centuries of Spanish religious architecture.

Rock art on the Iberian coast
Rock art on the Iberian coast

The late prehistoric rock-art sites of the Mediterranean seaboard of the Iberian peninsula form an exceptionally large group.

University of Alcalá de Henares
University of Alcalá de Henares

Founded by Cardinal Jiménez de Cisneros in the early 16th century, Alcalá de Henares was the world's first planned university city.

Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain (UNESCO/NHK)
Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain (UNESCO/NHK)

Seventeen decorated caves of the Paleolithic age were inscribed as an extension to the Altamira Cave

Melchor Pérez de Holguín, <em>Entry of Viceroy Archbishop Morcillo into Potosí</em>
Melchor Pérez de Holguín, Entry of Viceroy Archbishop Morcillo into Potosí

Pérez de Holguín creates an opulent vision of the city of Potosí, disregarding the infamous stories of poverty and exploitation in the mines of the Cerro Rico