Museum of Decorative Arts, Madrid: All Year

The Museum of Decorative Arts in Madrid takes a unique approach to exhibiting art, focusing on everyday, sustainable living as a mode of expressing art.

The Museum of Decorative Arts in Madrid takes a unique approach to exhibiting art, focusing on everyday, sustainable living as a mode of expressing art. It focuses primarily on the "minor" arts, including pottery, jewellery, and fabrics designed by artists from the 14th century to the modern day.

Its permanent exhibitions, housed on the upper floors, contain a rotating collection of more than 70,000 objects, organised primarily by historical period. The three upper floors of the museum display decorative arts ranging from porcelain and silverware to furniture and personal articles, arranged in a way that will allow visitors to immerse themselves in the everyday lives of people living in past centuries. The second floor, for example, is a recreation of a 17th century manor, complete with a chapel and living quarters with decorations original to the time period.

In contrast, the temporary exhibitions at the Museum of Decorative Arts focus more on modern art, and in particular on the museum's goal of promoting environmentally sustainable living. These exhibitions, housed on the first two floors of the building, represent the constantly fluctuating art styles and ideas of modern times, showcasing forward-thinking and inventive artists involved in the decorative arts from all walks of life. As you move upwards through the exhibitions at the Museum of Decorative arts, you can literally take a walk through time, experiencing art in from everyday life going back over seven centuries.

Museo de Artes Decorativas

Calle de Montalbán, 12, 28014 Madrid

Opening Hours

1 September – 30 June:
Tuesday-Saturday 9.30 -15.00
Sundays and holidays 10:00-15.00
Thursday afternoon from 17.00-20.00

5 July – 4 September:
Tuesday-Saturday 9.30-15.00
Sundays and holidays from 10.00-15.00
Thursday afternoons July 7 - August 25 temporary exhibitions open 19.00-22.00

Images

1. Exterior of museum by Luis García, CC BY 3.0

2. Textile, unidentified

3. Box, Florence, 17th century, ebony and piete dure

Museum of Decorative Arts, Madrid: All Year
Museum of Decorative Arts, Madrid: All Year
Museum of Decorative Arts, Madrid: All Year
Museum of Decorative Arts, Madrid: All Year
Museum of Decorative Arts, Madrid: All Year
Museum of Decorative Arts, Madrid: All Year
Tickets at the door

Opening Hours

Monday:
Closed
Tuesday:
09:30 - 15:00
Wednesday:
09:30 - 15:00
Thursday:
09:30 - 15:00
Friday:
09:30 - 15:00
Saturday:
09:30 - 15:00
Sunday:
10:00 - 15:00
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