Museums are in party mood throughout the month of May. 18 May marks International Museum Day, and Museums Night –an original initiative featuring thousands of cultural institutions all over around Europe– usually takes place on the Saturday immediately before or after. Come and experience this major festival of art in Spain.
International Museum Day is an event promoted by the ICOM (the International Council of Museums) in 145 countries. Its main objective is to make museum collections easily accessible to visitors of all ages, and to raise awareness among the public of the essential role played by museums in our cultural life.
On 18 May art galleries and museum venues in Spain celebrate their open doors day. You’ll have the chance to visit all the museum spaces you wish for free, and to enjoy a close-up view of unique creations from a range of different periods and styles. If you’re in Madrid, then don’t miss the Prado National Museum, with the best of the Spanish, Italian and Flemish schools; the Thyssen-Bornemisza, with paintings by the great universal masters of all time; and the Reina Sofía National Art Centre, dedicated to contemporary art with works by brilliant artists such as Miró, Dalí and Picasso, amongst others. Other spaces not to be missed include the Picasso Museum in Barcelona and the Picasso Museum in Malaga –both dedicated to the work of the master of Cubism–; the Dalí Museum-Theatre in Figueres in the province of Girona; the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the Valencian Institute of Modern Art (IVAM) in Valencia, both of which showcase the latest artistic trends.
Besides free admission and guided tours, there is much, much more to enjoy. You’ll have the chance to see works that are not usually on display, be given access to rooms that are generally closed to the public, attend lectures and talks, take in concerts and theatre performances, film screenings, workshops, competitions, games for children, dance shows…
The Museo Carmen Thyssen Málaga is participating in this event with a free entry day on 18 May when the Permanent Collection can be visited free of charge during the Museum’s normal opening hours.
The motto for this year’s International Museums Day is Museums in a changing World. New Challenges, new Inspirations. The Museo Carmen Thyssen Málaga will be offering a concert in the Museum’s main courtyard, performed by Coliceo (the Choir of the French Lycée in Malaga) and conducted by Christophe Meyer. The choir will perform a programme that will transport us through time from the Renaissance to the present day, allowing us to appreciate and experience some of the key periods in Western art and to immerse ourselves in the atmosphere of the period.
