Museum of Fine Arts

A visit to Seville’s Museum of Fine Arts allows you to admire not just the second-biggest art gallery in Spain but also the beautiful baroque building in which the collection is housed. Considered one of the city’s hidden secrets, the museum is home to first-rate works by luminaries such as Murillo, Zurbaran, El Greco and Velazquez to name but a few.

Located in a former convent with a grand staircase, there are two levels with 14 halls dedicated to different styles of art, including Spanish medieval, Renaissance, Mannerism, baroque and Sevillian. The lobby is a work of art in itself as it is decorated in beautiful ornate tiles from dissolved monasteries. In fact, much of the collection owes its origins to the confiscation by the state of ecclesiastical assets in the 19th century and as such, there is a wealth of religious paintings and sculptures.

Among the standout works are the Portrait of Jorge Manuel by El Greco, the sculpture of St Jerome by Torrigiano, The Virgin of the Caves by Zurbaran and the Portrait of Don Jose Duaso y Latre by Goya. The paintings of Seville offer a wonderful vignette on the everyday life and traditions of the city over the centuries, with works on subjects such popular festivals, flamenco and the famed cigarette factory workers. Local master Murillo has two dedicated rooms.

The museum’s centrality to Seville’s art scene is such that many contemporary local artists congregate at the Plaza del Museo to exhibit their own works to passers-by.

Languages
Available in Spanish and English.