This summer, Madrid became the artistic capital of Europe.

This summer, Madrid presents the most impressive selection of fine art exhibitions among all European cities. In the best museums of the city you can see paintings by Rafael (Rafael), Murillo (Murillo), "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo da Vinci at the Prado Museum, an exhibition of paintings by Edward Hopper (Edward Hopper) at the Museum Thyssen (Museo Thyssen), revelry of color and simple forms of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (Ernst Ludwig Kirchner) at the Marf Foundation (Mapfre), watercolor delusions of William Blake (William Blake) in CaixaForum, the first retrospective of one of the key contemporary artists James Coleman (James Coleman) at the Museum de Arte Reina Sofía.

In the photo: Prado Museum, Madrid

The exhibition of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, the founder of German expressionism, enjoys great popularity among professionals and spectators, mainly due to the triptych of the artist “Bathing Women”. Something happens to you when you see these naked women in the bathroom, as if peeping through a keyhole. All fragments of the triptych are in different museums, in different countries, and only in Madrid until September 2 you can see the picture in full.

“It took us two and a half years to organize this exhibition and put all the pieces together,” says Pablo Jiménez Burillo, Director General of the Institute for Culture of the Marfe Foundation. Kirchner’s insatiable desire to draw led to the fact that on the back of many of his works you can see other paintings. And this stylistic feature of the artist formed the basis for creating a retrospective of his works.

The usual place of pilgrimage for all tourists in Madrid - the Prado Museum offers an interesting exhibition of two artists at once - Raphael and Murillo. The collection of works created by Murillo in the last years of his life, the fruit of his friendship with Justino de Neve, surprisingly coincided in spirit with the works of Raphael. In addition to Madrid, the exhibition will also be on display in Paris, Seville and London.

Anna Sidorova