Museum Encounters: Thyssen-Bornemisza and Museo del Romanticismo

In true Very Vanilla form, I had entirely too much to share for just one post about museums. First were the big hitters, the Prado and Reina Sophia, now two lesser known establishments that deserve the same red carpet treatment, one being the Museo del Arte Thyssen-Bornemisza. As Mr. Rick Steves puts it, the Thyssen holds "minor works by major artists and major works by minor artists." However, this is in no way a bad thing as one can see paintings by everyone from Gauguin, Monet, Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, Pissarro, Hopper, and Degas all under one roof! Que Ilusion! Even better, the current exhibition featured the works of Marc Chagall who is quite the big deal in his own right. I was really quite enchanted by many of his works. Talk about translating a dream onto canvas!

Nude Above Vitebsk

Window at the Dacha, Le Bouquet Argent

Au Dessus de la Ville

Evening Enchantment, White Lilacs

Next, my friend had been dying to check out the Museo del Romanticismo so we stopped by on a whim. Museum-houses are a whole other breed of exhibition hall. It's hard to know where to look when beautiful furnishings are displayed literally from floor to ceiling! As the name implies, the museum houses an exhaustive collection of furniture, toys, art work, and fixtures all from the Romantic era. We are talking gold trim, pastel hues, and cherubs on just about everything in sight...all together in the same room. It is a bit much to take in at first. All the objects are magnificent but each one competes for your attention. There is not much synergy going on here. Nevertheless, I was quick to imagine myself living in such a sumptuous setting, complete with its own ballroom and billards room! Downstairs the museum has a cafe with access to a lovely courtyard.

Chagall images, interior museum images