Advertisement

Casón del Buen Retiro

    Information

    The Casón del Buen Retiro is one of the two buildings that survived the destruction of the Buen Retiro Palace, from which its name was taken. Currently, it is part of the Prado Museum.

    It was built in 1637 as part of a project developed by Alonso Carbonell. It still maintains the windowed barrel vault and the Alegoría del Toisón de Oro fresco painting, done by Lucas Jordán in 1962. The main west façade was designed by Velázquez Bosco. Jaime Torruell performed the latest restoration.

    For many decades, the building housed 19th Century painting collections belonging to the Prado Museum, comprising about 3,000 paintings. Moreover, it exhibited Picasso’s “Guernica” since the arrival of the painting from the United States of America. In 1992, Picasso’s work was moved to the Reina Sofía Museum, and the Casón was closed and underwent a major restoration.

    Today, newly-restored it houses the library of the Prado Museum, one of the best and most unknown libraries of art in Madrid. It is specialized in painting and sculpture from the Middle Ages until the 19th century. It houses a collection of more than 150,000 books, including monographs and reference works, 1,500 periodicals, 260 auction catalogues, audiovisual material, specialised digital resources, posters and leaflets and it preserves an outstanding bibliographic heritage, of prints and manuscripts prior to 1900, of significance due to their number (7,000 volumes), their specialised nature (treatises on painting and architecture, festivity programmes, drawing charts and iconography books, emblems, anatomy and physiognomy) and the rarity of some of the copies.

     

    Services
    Image
    Lost & found
    Image
    Lockers / Cloakroom
    Image
    Library
    Image
    Guided tours
    Image
    Lift
    Last updated: 16/09/2022
    Practical Information
    Tourist Information
    Address
    Calle
    de Alfonso XII, 28
    28014
    Tourist area
    Paseo del Arte
    Telephone
    (+34) 91 330 28 21
    Fax
    Metro
    Estación del Arte (L1)
    Banco de España (L2)
    Retiro (L2)
    Bus
    001, 10, 14, 19, 27, 34, 37, 45, C03, N9, N10, N11, N12, N13, N14, N15, N17, N25, N26
    Cercanías (local train)
    Madrid-Atocha
    BiciMAD bike-share scheme

    Docking stations:

    - Calle Espalter, 1

    - Calle Antonio Maura, 15

    Price

    Free entry. Show your ID Card, Passport, or equivalent official document at the security counter by the entrance on Calle Alfonso XII.

    Guided tour: free with entrance to the Prado Museum. Sign up 30 minutes before the tour at the Education meeting point.

    Times

    Library and archive opening times:

    Mon-Fri: 8:30pm – 2pm

    Guided tours of the Vaulted Ceiling painted by Luca Giordano: Sundays at 12pm (except July, August, and September)

     

     

    Type
    Cultural venues
    Cultural centres, exhibition halls, foundations

    Our suggestions

    Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum

    Embark on a journey through seven centuries of European art, from the early 1200s to the late 20th century, taking in works by the likes of Dürer, Frans Hals, Gauguin, Van Gogh and Kirchner.

    Prado Museum

    One of the world’s leading art galleries boasting works by Velázquez, Goya, El Greco, Titian, Rubens and Hieronymus Bosch, among others.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement
    Advertisement
    Advertisement
    Advertisement