14 Mar A guide to Malaga’s museums
If you look at the fact that Malaga, located on Spain’s Costa del Sol, was founded in 770BC by the Phoenicians, you can easily appreciate what a long history and variety of cultures lie behind it. And each and everyone left their traces.
There is something for everyone: from Phoenician walls, Islamic artefacts, modern paintings and wine to glass, dolls, cars and even aviation. Here are some of Malaga’s best museums.
Picasso Museum
Malaga’s most famous ´son´, as far as the Fine Arts are concerned, Pablo Ruiz Picasso and the museum dedicated to him should be named first. Housed in the beautifully restored Palacio de Buenavista, twelve halls show a permanent collection of the painter´s and sculptor´s work from several periods. In addition there are temporary exhibitions. The museum was opened in 2003.
Then there is a surprise. Leave the world of Picasso behind and descend below the basement where you will find ancient Roman and Phoenician walls and ruins which were discovered during the restoration of the palace.
The museum is located just steps from Malaga Cathedral in the heart of Malaga´s historical centre. Outside you have excellent views of the Alcazaba and the Gibralfaro Castle. The museum has a cafe on the ground floor which closes half an hour before the museum does and a bookshop offering books on Picasso, his art and reproductions of his work.
Address: Palacio de Buenavista, Calle San Agustin 8, website.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Thursday 10am to 8pm, Fridays and Saturdays 10am to 9pm, Sundays and holidays 10am to 8pm. Closed on Mondays as well as on Christmas Day, New Years Day and the 6th of January
Admission: €10 for combined permanent collection and temporary exhibition. Special fees apply to groups, students, children and seniors.
Admission is free on Sundays between 6pm and 8pm
Be warned: this museum is extremely popular and there can be long queues during the high season. You can buy tickets in advance by calling: 902 360295.
Casa Natal Picasso
You might as well complete your Picasso experience by visiting nearby Casa Natal in Plaza de la Merced. Some people think that this is actually the Picasso museum, but it is not, it´s the house where Picasso was born in 1881.
It´s a pretty three story town house, the first floor of which was rented by Picasso´s father, also a painter, until the family moved to Galicia.
Today it’s the seat of the Picasso Foundation and a combination of research centre, museum and art gallery. The ground floor is taken up by an exhibition hall, showing also works by Miro, Brasso and a number of other artists. The first floor contains many of Picasso’s works, graphics and ceramics as well as personal mementos which give an overview of what was life like for him in his early years. The third floor is seat of an extensive library and the research centre.
More intimate and of course smaller than the Picasso Museum, it’s ideal if you just want to get acquainted with the master. It´s also a lot cheaper and has better opening times.
Address: Casa Natal de Picasso, Plaza de la Merced s/n, website.
Opening times: Monday to Sunday: 9.30am to 8pm, no closing during siesta time. Closed on bank holidays
Admission fee: Combined ticket incl. Audio guide : €3
Free admission for everyone on Sundays.
Museo Carmen Thyssen
From beauty queen to art collector: Carmen Thyssen´s life is as colourful as the works of art exhibited in the museum which bears her name and consists of 230 works from her private collection. Dedicated mostly to 19th century Spanish painters such as Zurbaran and Romero Torres, the theme is Andalucia, the museum only opened in 2011.
This museum is another occasion to admire a beautiful building as well as great works of art. Established in a 16th century palace named Palacio de Villalon, the centre piece is a traditional , colonnaded Andalusian patio around which the four sections of the museum are grouped. In addition to the permanent exhibits there are temporary exhibitions and cultural events such as flamenco shows. Summer workshops and events during Semana Santa are also held.
Address: Calle Compania 10, website.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday: 10am to 8pm. Mondays closed except on bank holidays
Admission fee: Combined ticket €8, reductions for students, children and seniors.
Museo de Vino
Thirsty from all that looking at great art? Get into the spirit of things, literally, with a visit to Malaga´s wine museum. Yet again, this is a museum housed in a historical 18th century building called Palacio de Biedmas located in the city centre.
Whereas the ground floor exhibits a collection of 400 labels from wine bottles of the region as well as posters, the most interesting part is the first floor.
Malaga is famous for its sweet dessert wine, muscatel. The process of wine making from the Phoenicians to the Greeks, Romans and Arabs to the present time is documented here. And it´s also the venue of wine tasting which is included in the admission fee. You can sample one sweet and one dry Malaga wine. If you get hooked and want more, you can, at an additional €1 per tasting.
Address: Plaza de los Vineros 1, off Calle Carreteria, website.
Opening hours. Tuesday to Friday: 12noon to 2.30pm and 4.30pm to 7.30pm. Mondays closed, as well as, on 1,6,24,25,31 January and Thursday and Friday of Semana Santa.
Admission: €5 incl. 2 wine tastings. Additional tasting: €1
Flamenco Art Museum – Peña Juan Breva
From muscatel to another typical Andalucian feature: Flamenco. If you like or want to learn all about this dramatic dance, visit the Flamenco Museum.
It houses a collection of more than 5000 pieces, nearly half of them a rare records collection of Flamenco music. In addition you will find guitars, some of them over 200 years old, photography, and traditional flamenco dresses and costumes. The little museum has a tapas bar attached to it, so you can sample another specialty of Southern Spain.
Address: Calle Ramon Franquelo 4.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday: 10am to 2pm. Closed on Mondays
Admissions: Basically free, but a donation of €1 is appreciated.
Contemporary Art Museum
From small to big, lovers of modern art should not miss a visit to one of the most important centers of contemporary art in the CAC. Located in a former wholesale market building on the banks of the Guadalmina river, 2400m of stark warehouse space form the suitable background for a collection of more than 400 works of art. Nearly all of them are on loan from private collectors for a period between three and five years.
The emphasis is on art from the 1950 to the present day, including famous North American artists like Lichtenstein and Stella. In addition there are workshops for people of all ages and regular programs for up and coming Spanish artists.
Address: Calle Alemania s/n, behind Alameda train station, website.
Opening hours: Winter: Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 8pm, Summer: Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 2pm and 5pm to 9pm, Mondays closed as well as on 25th December and 1st of January
Admission: Free
Museo de Vidrio y Cristal
Here is an insider tip. Malaga´s glass museum is a jewel in its own right. Privately owned by Gonzalo Fernandez Prieto, you feel like visiting a very wealthy private home rather than a museum. Housed in an 18th century casa/palacio which only opened in 2009, the owner has amassed a collection of over 700 pieces of glass. The artefacts on display range from brightly coloured Phoenician vessels from the 6th century BC to modern day Lalique and Whitefriars pieces.
In between you can admire Pre-Raphaelite stained glass windows as well as examples of Catalan, Venetian, Dutch and Bohemian glass. What´s more, antique furniture, mirrors and paintings complement the glass of each period enhancing the atmosphere of entering someone´s living room. Add to this patios and gardens and you are truly transported.
Address: Plazuela Santisimo Cristo de la Sangre 2, opposite San Felipe Neri Church, website.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday: 11am to 7pm. Closed on Mondays and during the month of August
Admission: €5 Guided tours only!
Automobile Museum
Car fanatic or not, you´ll be captivated by this museum which houses the private collection of over 80 vintage and modern cars belonging to Portuguese Joan Magalhaes. For a collection of this kind, a vast space is needed and it has been found in an extraordinary building: Malaga´s old tobacco factory, built in 1927 with high ceilings and tall, narrow windows, carefully transformed to display the automobilistic treasures to their best advantage.
From a car which looks more like a horse drawn carriage sans the horse to the Swarowsky crystals encrusted bonnet of a Rolls Royce, you´ll find an incredible variety of luxury and fancy. Bugatti, Ferrari, Bentley, Jaguar and Mercedes, all the great names are represented, with vintage cars as well as modern day varieties including a solar powered model.
This museum is very much about the car as an object of fashion, art and glamour. Customized examples, body work painted by artist Sonia Delauney, leopard print seat covers, you name it, you´ll see it.
Of course, accessories of times gone bye like hats, vintage sun glasses, designer scarves and hand tooled leather luggage complemented the cars and are present in this museum too. Over 300 hats alone will delight fashion enthusiasts even if they aren´t crazy about cars.
Best of all, if you have upwards of a spare €500 you can hire several of these beauties for the day and that includes a chauffeur. Having your picture taken leaning against one is of course a lot cheaper.
Address: Avenida Sor Teresa Prat 15, website.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 7pm. Closed Mondays and on 25th December and New Years Day
Admission. €6.50
Airport Museum
From automobile history to aviation history is just a question of a few kilometers in the same direction.
Dive into the good old times of air travel when people actually used to dress up, security control was nil, flight attendants were beauties and service was top. Head towards the airport, at the San Miguel Brewery roundabout, follow the sign to General Aviation and enter the old terminal which served Malaga airport from 1948 to 1968.
Thanks to Friends of the Museum, Malaga´s air travel history has come to life with old fashioned check in counters, access to the old control tower, exhibits of air travel paraphernalia and a home made flight simulator where you can, without danger of crashing, become a Boeing 737 pilot.
A new wing contains restored planes like a DC-3, DC-9 and a small Beechcraft which once belonged to the Moroccan Royal family. It´s also a great place to take kids.
Address: Terminal 1 Malaga airport, website.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 2pm, Tuesday afternoon: 4pm to 8pm, Closed Mondays, Thursday and Friday of Semana Santa, 25th December, 1st January
Admission free but permission needs to be asked to use the flight simulator.
Malaga has the biggest number of museums in Andalucia and this is a summary of less than half.
Visiting museums in Malaga and generally in Spain requires a bit of planning because of the great variety of opening times. As a rule they are closed on Mondays and between 2pm and 5pm which is of course siesta time. But not all, so check in advance to avoid disappointment and a wasted journey.
A very important museum, the Archaeology Museum is not included in this list because it is currently closed for relocation.
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