{"id":630423,"date":"2026-10-14T13:58:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T13:58:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/630423\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T13:58:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T13:58:12","slug":"house-museum-of-spanish-master-of-light-joaquin-sorolla-reopens-in-madrid-the-art-newspaper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/630423\/","title":{"rendered":"House museum of Spanish \u2018master of light\u2019 Joaqu\u00edn Sorolla reopens in Madrid – The Art Newspaper"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Sorolla Museum in Madrid will reopen on 15 October, two years after closing its doors for an ambitious expansion and restoration project. The museum is located in the historic home and atelier of the Spanish artist Joaqu\u00edn Sorolla y Bastida (1863-1923), known for his glistening scenes of sunlit Mediterranean beaches.<\/p>\n

While Sorolla\u2019s residence will remain closed for restoration, the first phase of the \u20ac14m project<\/a> is now complete, with a 1,698 sq. m extension including new exhibition spaces, an auditorium and storage facilities. The inaugural exhibition, entitled Behind the Artist\u2019s House: The Architecture of the Sorolla Museum, 1905\u20132026, will trace the history of the building, from its construction to the present day.<\/p>\n

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The east fa\u00e7ade of Sorolla Museum in Madrid Photo: Luis Garc\u00eda via wikimedia<\/a><\/p>\n

Sorolla personally oversaw the construction of his stately atelier-home between 1909-11. It houses the world\u2019s largest collection of his works, including 1,394 paintings and around 5,000 drawings. Since it opened to the public as a museum in 1932, its layout, conceived for a family of four and its staff, has presented increasingly complex functional challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cCertain requirements the museum needed to meet in order to operate effectively, both in terms of visitor services and collection management, were being carried out under precarious conditions,\u201d Enrique Valera, the museum\u2019s director, tells The Art Newspaper. In 2023, on the centenary of the painter\u2019s death, the museum welcomed 344,799 visitors<\/a>, a 40% increase from 2022 and surpassing 300,000 visitors for the first time. The house was, in Valera\u2019s words, \u201cexhausted\u201d.<\/p>\n

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The 1,698 sq. m extension includes new exhibition spaces, an auditorium and storage facilities Photo: Irene Juanes, courtesy of Museo Sorolla<\/p>\n

In 2009, the Ministry of Culture acquired two adjacent properties that connect to the rear of the building with the objective of adding to the museum\u2019s existing 1,432 sq. m of usable floor space. In an effort to minimise the museum\u2019s closure, the overhaul was split into two phases: first the expansion, designed by the architecture firm Nieto Sobejano, followed by the restoration of the historic building. Work began in January 2022, and the museum finally closed in October 2024.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, its entire collection had to be relocated to the new building. \u201cThis presented a challenge unlike any the museum has ever faced before,\u201d Valera explains. However, the most critical moment was closing the museum\u2019s doors: \u201cYou lose the relationship with the visitors, which is something that can really hurt us.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Valera, the physical expansion of the museum represents a broadening of its vision. \u201cAfter the remodelling, the Sorolla Museum will have a new, expansive personality,\u201d he says, pointing out the new auditorium. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have a space like this before, and it will allow us to expand our cultural programming for every type of visitor.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Installation view of Behind the Artist\u2019s House: The Architecture of the Sorolla Museum, 1905\u20132026 inside the Sorolla Museum’s new extension Photo: Irene Juanes, courtesy of Museo Sorolla<\/p>\n

Improving accessibility was a major focus of the project. While the museum offered wheelchairs, its entrance and upper floors were not wheelchair accessible, a problem visitors and associations had raised for years. The new building, which is connected to the historical residence and the gardens, will now offer step-free access throughout.<\/p>\n

Conservation was another concern. Previously, the entire collection\u2014over 7,000 objects and just as many photographs\u2014was stored within the house itself. Aside from the lack of space, there was a need for appropriate climate-control systems, an increasingly urgent issue as Madrid faces hotter and longer summers. \u201cOur restorer used to carry out her work in very makeshift conditions and with very limited facilities,\u201d explains Valera. Now, the new building includes both storage rooms and a restoration atelier.<\/p>\n

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The Sorolla Museum’s extension houses new storage rooms Photo: Enrique Varela Agu\u0308i\u0301, courtesy of Museo Sorolla<\/p>\n

The reopening is a partial one\u2014visitors will have to wait to visit Sorolla\u2019s historical residence, as works to restore and refurbish the building will continue for an estimated two years. \u201cIt\u2019s very delicate work,\u201d Valera says. \u201cWe\u2019ll renew and install new lighting, air-conditioning and security systems, as well as restore the heritage features of the house, both inside and outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sorolla\u2019s house retains its original decor\u2014a mix of Rococo, Classical and Empire styles, featuring the artist\u2019s own paintings, as well as his collections of ceramics and statues. Much like in his work, light is the protagonist of the building (Sorolla is often described as a \u2018master of light\u2019), with high beamed ceilings and large windows. Restoration efforts will focus on the floors, the tiled skirting boards, the historical woodwork, the roof, the fa\u00e7ade and the gardens, also designed by Sorolla, who took inspiration from Andalusian patios, the Alc\u00e1zar of Seville, and Granada\u2019s lush Generalife. \u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful challenge,\u201d Valera concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Sorolla Museum in Madrid will reopen on 15 October, two years after closing its doors for an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":630424,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[442,498,499,500,501,156,309087,27430,8793,12603,111,139,69,47902],"class_list":["post-630423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-joaquin-sorolla","tag-madrid","tag-museums","tag-museums-heritage","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-openings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=630423"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630423\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/630424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=630423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=630423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=630423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}