Although the Fundación María Crístina Masaveo Peterson (FMCMP for short) has been open since Oct 2019, this quiet, elegant space still feels box fresh, maybe because it was forced to close its doors shortly after opening thanks to the pandemic, or maybe because this discrete collection is not on many people’s radars just yet.

Certainly the first day I went there it was particularly empty; many Madrileños were away for the Easter break, and a dramatic thunderstorm was in progress. Whatever the reason, only security guards and attendants accompanied me as I spent an hour enjoying the fantastic exhibition currently on display (Spanish Nineteenth Century Painting, from Goya to Modernism.) This exhibition is on until May 28th, 2023, so still time left to marvel at the two rooms of Sorolla masterpieces, a stunning  Julio Romero de Torres piece and works by painters such as Federico de Madrazo, Zuolaga, and Anglada-Camarasa.

Tucked away in a side street just off the Plaza de Colón, you can see the emblematic office building on the corner of Calle Genova from a patio – I got quite excited seeing this block from a fresh angle. Some sculptures from the Foundation’s collection are dotted around, including a spectacularly large, specially commissioned work by Jaume Plensa, that fills a small interior courtyard. It is worth going in just for this spectacular piece.

So please go, enjoy this fantastic museum – it is free and central and I can’t think of a better place to spend an hour!