Museo Sorolla

To fin-de-siècle impressionist painter Joaquín Sorolla, known for his delicate landscapes capturing sunlit Spanish beach scenes, his home was yet another art project. Living here in the Chamberi neighborhood until his death in 1923, Sorolla strove to synergize his working and living spaces, already collecting many of the drawings and sculptures that are now on display in the museum today. The small residence became a museum in 1932 and has displayed a wonderful collection of the artist’s landscapes and horticultural paintings since, the subject of many being his own Andalusian-style garden which visitors are invited to admire for themselves. Sorolla designed its layout and personally chose every species of plant in the garden, once more showing his artistic convictions beyond the canvas.

Admission to the cozy museum is free on Sundays, though this comes with the expectation of crowds in the rather compact heritage listed building, so book ahead on another day if that sounds undesirable. Spanish-language tours are free on Tuesdays through Fridays at 5pm, though personal audio tours are available at a small additional cost.