Sorolla Museum reopens in Madrid with a new extension

Housed in Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida’s former home and studio, the museum holds the world’s largest collection of his work, with 1,394 paintings and about 5,000 drawings. The €14m project was planned in two stages to reduce the closure period: the extension first, then the restoration of the historic building.

The opening show, Behind the Artist’s House: The Architecture of the Sorolla Museum, 1905–2026, follows the building’s story from its construction to the present day. For artists, the reopening offers a close look at a painter’s working environment, where architecture, light and display are part of the same visual language as the works on view.

A house built around painting and drawing

Sorolla personally oversaw the building of the house-studio between 1909 and 1911. Opened as a museum in 1932, it was designed for a family of four and their staff, and over time its original layout became increasingly difficult to reconcile with conservation and visitor needs.

The new extension also improves accessibility, with step-free access throughout, and brings together storage rooms and a conservation studio. For visitors interested in painting and drawing, the museum is as revealing for what it contains as for what it shows about Sorolla’s practice: a sustained attention to light, interior space and the gardens he also designed.

The reopening is only partial, as the historic house will need around two more years of restoration. For now, visitors will see the new extension and the temporary exhibition before the residence itself opens again.