What's on in Madrid
September 2026
September at a glance: 11 exhibitions opening, 21 closing, and 25 more on view across the city.
Permanent guide to September 2026 →
Opening in September
- Unfounded Rumours: Javier and Rafa Forteza8 Sept
CaixaForum Madrid · Free
The first joint show by brothers Javier and Rafa Forteza pairs paintings and sculpture that resist easy recognition, exploring the enigma of the face and the limits of figuration.
- Works in Passing: Cerralbo and the Women Who Protected Cultural Heritage8 Sept
Museo Cerralbo
A portrait of writer Emilia Pardo Bazán, on loan from A Coruña, spotlighting women who championed heritage preservation alongside the Marquis of Cerralbo.
Apertura Madrid Gallery Weekend 2026: Entre la retícula y la vida9 SeptMuseo Lázaro Galdiano · Free
An outdoor sculpture exhibition in the museum gardens, staged with Arte Madrid for the Apertura Madrid Gallery Weekend festival.
Manolo Millares9 SeptMuseo Reina Sofía
A centenary retrospective built around the visceral mixed-media works of Spanish Informalist painter Manolo Millares (1926-1972), exploring repression and human suffering through torn hessian and abstraction.
Bailad, bailad, malditos (Carlos Aires)11 SeptMatadero Madrid · Free
Carlos Aires transforms Nave 0, the slaughterhouse's fire-scarred former cold room, into a haunted dance floor of shored-up metal supports and some twenty screens, part of the Abierto x Obras site-specific series.
H U M I (Riccardo Giovinetto)17 SeptMatadero Madrid
A four-screen immersive audiovisual installation by Riccardo Giovinetto, weaving manipulated satellite imagery of dense urban regions with field recordings into shifting, imagined geographies.
Eli Cortiñas: The Machine Dreams of Smoke23 SeptMuseo Reina Sofía
Eli Cortiñas revisits her 2016 work on cinema, museums and colonial imagery, adding new AI-generated installations that critique how algorithms and institutions perpetuate power imbalances.
Women Artists: Pathways through Pre-Raphaelitism (1850-1914)24 SeptFundación MAPFRE – Sala Recoletos
A survey of over forty women artists linked to the Pre-Raphaelite movement, tracing their careers and creative paths through the Victorian era.
The Other Face of the Avant-Garde24 SeptFundación MAPFRE – Sala Recoletos
Traces how Hans Prinzhorn's collection of psychiatric-patient artwork influenced Expressionist, Dadaist and Surrealist artists, and its later revival as Art Brut by Jean Dubuffet.
Minor White24 SeptFundación MAPFRE – Sala Recoletos
The first European retrospective of American photographer Minor White, marking 50 years since his death, covering nature, portraiture and his innovative photographic sequences.
Kenny Scharf29 SeptMuseo Thyssen-Bornemisza
Retrospective of the East Village artist and urban art pioneer, with paintings, sculptures, installations and murals blending pop culture and surrealism.
Last chance
- DiseñAR-T IV13 Sept
Museo del Traje · Free
Final projects by teenagers from the museum's DiseñAR-T fashion education programme, each design built around a material or an emotion.
Alterations. Stories, Tales and New Narratives13 SeptGalería de las Colecciones Reales
Contemporary artists intervene in the Gallery's permanent display with photography-based works exploring memory, landscape and historical narrative.
Rubens. The Restoration of Venus and Cupid13 SeptMuseo Thyssen-Bornemisza
A focused display on the technical study and restoration of Rubens Venus and Cupid, revealing his materials, methods and restored chromatic balance.
- Laia Abril. Endometriosis. The Silenced Pain13 Sept
Museo del Romanticismo · Free
PhotoEspaña 2026 installation by Laia Abril using fragmented bodies to confront the historic medical dismissal of endometriosis and women's pain.
Lo que la ciudad esconde: Images of the Medieval Court of Toledo13 SeptMuseo Arqueológico Nacional · Free
Medieval-era artifacts and images from the royal court of Toledo, organised with Castilla-La Mancha's regional museums, in the free Sala de Novedades Arqueológicas.
The Famine Painting13 SeptMuseo del Prado
Traces the rise and fall of José Aparicio's The Year of the Famine in Madrid (1818), once the Prado's most admired painting, now largely forgotten.
On the Geography of the River. Linarejos Moreno20 SeptMuseo Arqueológico Nacional · Free
Contemporary photographer Linarejos Moreno's river-themed work fills the museum's entrance hall, part of the PHotoESPAÑA 2026 festival.
- In the Italian Manner. Spain and the Mediterranean Gothic, 1320–142020 Sept
Museo del Prado
Over 100 works from 56 institutions reassess how Italian Trecento art reshaped Gothic painting, sculpture and textiles in the Spanish kingdoms.
The Council of State and the Museo del Prado20 SeptMuseo del Prado
A collection itinerary of thirteen portraits, from Titian's Charles V to Goya's Jovellanos, marking the fifth centenary of Spain's Council of State.
Goya y las escuelas flamenca e italiana. Un siglo de filantropía de Carlota de Santamarca y Antonia González23 SeptMuseo de Historia de Madrid · Free
The complete six-panel Juegos de niños series by Goya, shown with Flemish and Italian masters from the Santamarca-González philanthropic collection.
- Helbig Archive: 96-2627 Sept
Museo del Traje · Free
A retrospective marking designer Teresa Helbig's 30-year career, tracing her craftsmanship through iconic dresses, fashion films and interviews.
- Prado. 21st Century27 Sept
Museo del Prado
A reflection on the Prado's contemporary identity through 98 works acquired for the collection since the year 2000.
- Genealogy of the Void: Venezuela Chapter27 Sept
Museo de América · Free
Artists Ángela Bonadies and Cristian Guardia install works from the museum's Venezuela collection to reflect on the country's political and geopolitical "void".
Illustraciencia 1327 SeptMuseo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales
Forty award-winning works from the 13th international Illustraciencia prize for scientific and nature illustration, with tactile and braille versions for visually impaired visitors.
The Precision of Timekeeping: 19th-Century Clocks in the Royal Collections27 SeptGalería de las Colecciones Reales
Fine clocks acquired by Ferdinand VII and Isabella II, tracing technical innovation and changing taste in 19th-century clockmaking.
- "Cama Adentro": An Exhibition by Eulogia Merle27 Sept
Museo de América · Free
Portraits by Argentine artist Eulogia Merle giving presence to Latin American migrant women working as live-in domestic carers in Spain and Argentina.
Carmen Laffón. Variations27 SeptMuseo Thyssen-Bornemisza
Major retrospective of 77 works by Sevillian painter Carmen Laffon, tracing still life, landscape and sculpture across her 60-year career.
American Democracy30 SeptCasa de América · Free
PSJM collective's two-part show using 'social geometry' to visualize US demographic data and 59 geometric paintings charting the history of presidential elections.
Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha30 SeptCasa de América · Free
Bego Antón's PHotoEspaña photographs of women and their dogs performing Musical Canine Freestyle across the US, part of Casa de América's US 250th-anniversary programme.
Tengo un coco contigo30 SeptCasa de América · Free
Bernardo Medina's 'jíbaro pop' works, using Puerto Rican flag colours, plantains and reimagined soup cans to explore identity and cultural dependence with the US.
American Latinos 1935-194530 SeptCasa de América · Free
Around 300 Library of Congress portraits of Hispanic communities in the 1930s-40s US, curated by Alberto Ferreras with photos by Dorothea Lange, Jack Delano and others.
Also on through September
I Am Ashurbanipal, King of the World, King of Assyriato 4 OctCaixaForum Madrid
Assyrian antiquities from the British Museum trace the life and legacy of Ashurbanipal, the 7th-century BCE king of Assyria: warrior, scholar and empire-builder.
Valeriano D. Bécquer (1834–1870): The Genre Paintingsto 4 OctMuseo del Prado
A reassessment of the genre paintings of Valeriano Bécquer, brother of the poet Gustavo Adolfo, chronicling Andalusian daily life and popular customs.
Milk, Snow, Tear, Hand: Blanca Sánchez's Art of Making and Beingto 9 OctMuseo Reina Sofía · Free
An exploration of curator and artist Blanca Sánchez Berciano (1948-2007) through collage, Camp aesthetics and archive materials that trace Madrid's cultural movements.
The Quantum Revolutionto 11 OctEspacio Fundación Telefónica · Free
Over 120 objects, installations and interactive displays trace quantum physics from early 20th-century discoveries to lasers, semiconductors and quantum computing.
Materia viva. A Journey through Botany, Art and Andalusi Memoryto 11 OctMuseo Arqueológico Nacional
An exhibition and historic-garden itinerary tracing botany, art and Andalusi memory, running through the museum's al-Andalus galleries and garden.
Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Sweet Revengeto 12 OctMuseo Reina Sofía
A major exhibition of Cuban-American artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres (1957-1996), whose candy spills, paper stacks and light installations addressed loss, love and identity during the AIDS crisis.
Weaving Courtly Life. Textiles and Embroideries from the Royal Collectionsto 12 OctGalería de las Colecciones Reales
Exceptional royal textiles and embroideries, many never before displayed, showing the palace workshops behind centuries of courtly furnishings.
Fernando Brambila, Painter of the Royal Sitesto 12 OctGalería de las Colecciones Reales
Ninety-five oil paintings of Spain's Royal Sites commissioned by Ferdinand VII, by topographical landscape painter Fernando Brambila (1763–1834).
- Los Reconocimientosto 18 Oct
Museo del Traje · Free
An evolving, playful exhibition built around the Museo del Traje's own collections, revealing how the museum catalogues and cares for its holdings.
- New Spain Lacquered Bateas: A Cultural Crossroadsto 18 Oct
Museo de América · Free
An exceptional collection of lacquered wooden bateas from colonial Mexico, tracing production centres from Uruapan to Yucatán and Indigenous-Asian-European artistic exchange.
Vitrina CERO: From Greek Tragedy to Roman Comedy — Classical Theatreto 18 OctMuseo Arqueológico Nacional
A rotating showcase near the permanent exhibition entrance exploring classical theatre, from Greek tragedy to Roman comedy.
Misterios de la materia. The Science of Heritage in the MAN Collectionsto 18 OctMuseo Arqueológico Nacional · Free
Scientific analysis techniques, from metallurgy to imaging, reveal how MAN conservators study and preserve archaeological materials, developed with CSIC's national metallurgical research centre.
The Artist in Italyto 18 OctMuseo del Romanticismo · Free
Drawings by Federico de Madrazo, Luis de Madrazo and Vicente Palmaroli trace the artistic study trips to Italy that shaped 19th-century Spanish Romantic painters.
Madrid entre épocas. Fotomontajes de Andrés Valentín Pérez Serénto 18 OctMuseo de Historia de Madrid · Free
Refotography exhibition pairing 40 historical and present-day photographs of the same Madrid street corners, on show in the Patio Dorado.
Un instante atrapado en bronce: patrimonio recuperadoto 25 OctMuseo Arqueológico Nacional
A Roman-era bronze sculptural group recovered by Spain's National Police, displayed intact with its original bases in the Hispania Romana galleries.
- PHotoESPAÑA '26: Disfuncionariasto 25 Oct
Museo Cerralbo · Free
Tanit Plana's site-specific installation of large-format printed fabrics, a critical look at the museum professionals who research, collect and exhibit heritage, shown in the Ferraz Room.
Robert Frank & The Americansto 1 NovEspacio Fundación Telefónica · Free
The complete 83-image photographic series from Robert Frank's landmark 1958 project documenting inequality, consumerism and racial division in 1950s America.
Fueron tejidos. Teresa Lancetato 15 NovMuseo Arqueológico Nacional
Contemporary weaver Teresa Lanceta's textile works enter dialogue with the museum's Iberian collection in the Patio Ibérico galleries.
Los Moreno, Art Photographersto 22 NovReal Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
Twelve works by brothers Mariano and Vicente Moreno, pioneering Spanish art photographers whose Madrid studio left an archive of over 60,000 negatives.
- Trans Nation: A Project by Antonio Lópezto 22 Nov
Museo de América · Free
A photographic project on the colonial roots of discrimination against Indigenous trans women in the Americas, extended through 22 November after strong public interest.
The American Footprint in Madridto 30 DecReal Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
Marks the 250th anniversary of the United States with a rare 1796 portrait of George Washington by Josef Perovani, shown beside Goya's portrait of Manuel Godoy.
Fardo, by Andrea Canepato 1 JanPalacio de Cristal · Free
A printed tarp wrapping the Palacio de Cristal's glass facade during restoration, inspired by pre-Columbian Paracas funerary textile bundles.
Arte Plumario. Naturaleza, Identidad y Poderto 17 JanMuseo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales
An interdisciplinary look at feathers as cultural and symbolic material across world cultures, from historic featherwork to contemporary art by Henar Iglesias.
We Are Nature: An Immersive Audiovisual Experienceto 7 MarCaixaForum Madrid
A 70-minute immersive audiovisual journey through biodiversity, produced with National Geographic and OASIS Immersive Studios, urging action to protect the natural world.
Fernando Sánchez Castillo: The Wayward Pearlto 8 MarPalacio de Velázquez · Free
A retrospective of over 200 works by Fernando Sánchez Castillo dismantling monuments and symbols of power, framed around the legend of a lost royal pearl.
Stay in the loop on Madrid
A short note now and then when something new opens worth your time.