The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, from our point of view, is one of those places unjustly forgotten by the public. Every year, the capital of Spain, attracts thousands of tourists who want to see the great number of museums Madrid has. The Thyssen and Reina Sofía Museums, and above all the Prado, are the most appealing. Tourists consider other interesting museums as being their second choice.

Concerning these, one of the least visited is the Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. Why? Today we write an article about this historic building in Madrid which houses the oldest artistic institution in Spain. Having already seen the Monumental, the Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando is the place we will talk about today.

A PRICELESS ART COLLECTION

It is the second most important state-owned art gallery in Spain. The building which is more than 250 years old, houses a priceless permanent collection featuring Goya, El Greco, Sorolla, Picasso, Juan Gris, Arcimboldo, Zurbarán, Ribera and many more. The building is located at the beginning of Calle Alcalá and it was founded in 1752. The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando has been crucial in the development of Spanish art. Unfortunately, its museum is not well-known.

It consists of a collection of 1.400 paintings, 1.300 sculptures and 15.000 drawings. The 59 halls are half-empty. This fact shows us that the public in general, prefers to visit other museums. There is also an important printing and engraving workshop. Here, we can see the historic machinery and the first editions of prominent books.

A CHANGE IN THE FAÇADE

King Carlos III moved the Real Academia de Bellas Artes to the ground floor of the palace of Goyeneche, where it still stands. At that time, the façade had a baroque style. This style did not correspond to the artistic ideals of the members of the Academy. It was remodeled and most of the ornaments were removed. Thus, all the baroque elements were taken down.

A BEAUTIFUL FLAT NEXT TO LAS CORTES (THE SPANISH PARLIAMENT)

We have a beautiful flat very near the Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando.

The surface is 112 m2 and it has newly been restored with best quality materials.

It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and plenty of light. The building was finished in 1905 and the façade is classical. You can view more details if you visit our web site.

Picture 01: Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando

Picture 02: Roberto Pozuelo