Reina Sofía Highlights10 Must-See Masterpieces

Painted in 1901 during his Blue Period, this melancholic portrait captures profound isolation. A woman sits wrapped in cold blue tones, reflecting the 20-year-old Picasso’s grief over a friend’s death. It marks the beginning of his journey to becoming the 20th century’s most influential artist.

A haunting masterpiece by 18-year-old prodigy Ángeles Santos (1929). Mysterious, ghost-like figures gather in a dreamlike space, suspended between reality and fantasy. This unsettling work captures the intellectual atmosphere of 1920s Spain with a unique, surrealist vision that stunned the art world.

Agrit’s 1914 Cubist work breaks reality into geometric planes with mathematical precision. An anis bottle, newspaper, and guitar are reassembled in a balanced composition. Unlike Picasso’s intuitive style, Gris treated Cubism as "flat, colored architecture," blending his Madrid roots with Parisian avant-garde discipline.

A 1914 still life by the co-inventor of Cubism. Braque fragments a café scene—floating cards and dice—into overlapping planes of brown and gray. His analytical approach creates a complex sense of space, incorporating everyday objects to revolutionize how we perceive form on canvas.

This monumental 1929 canvas depicts a surreal, apocalyptic planet. Painted when Santos was just 18, it is filled with strange figures and desolate landscapes. Combining childlike directness with deep anxiety, it remains a visionary masterpiece of the Spanish avant-garde, predating many famous Surrealist themes.

Blanchard’s 1916 portrait humanizes Cubism. She fragments the woman’s form into geometric planes but retains emotion and warmth. A key figure in Paris, Blanchard overcame physical disability and prejudice to create a unique, lyrical style that bridges structural rigor with deep sensitivity.

Dalí’s 1929 Surrealist breakthrough. A melting, grotesque head—part self-portrait, part rock formation—is consumed by ants and irrational symbols. Painted during his affair with Gala, it is a disturbing, hallucinatory exploration of sexual anxiety and the unconscious, rendered with photographic precision.

Painted in 1936 as civil war loomed, this work features Miró’s poetic, biomorphic forms. A simplified woman and dog float against a dark void. Miró used this playful but profound language to transcend political turmoil, creating a universal, dreamlike universe vibrant with color.

The 20th century’s most powerful anti-war statement (1937). Picasso painted this massive monochrome canvas to protest the bombing of a Basque town. The screaming figures, dying horse, and shattered forms create a timeless, agonizing cry against the violence and suffering of war.