Madrid, Spain (2017) - Madrid’s Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia is an extraordinary building. Now a modern art museum, it showcases the works of Spanish artists like Salvador Dali, Joan Miro and Pablo Picasso. However it began its life as a 18th century hospital, centrally located by its train station. In 1988, it was converted into a museum and named after Queen Sofia, with major additions by architect Ian Ritchie. Then in 2005, French architect Jean Nouvel gave it its current exterior shape, adding 8000 square meters of auditoriums, libraries, restaurants all clad with red louvered metal and glistening glass.
Like the modern art inside, the museum now has its own multiple layers and interpretations. In this image, your point of view starts at the innermost layer, standing at the entrance of the original stone hospital. As you look out, the next layer in is the subterranean library; the next layer is the red louvered metal exterior; followed by the final outer layer, Madrid’s bustling street life along the Ronda de Atocha.