MUSEO DE BELLAS ARTES DE SEVILLA
Opening Hours & Admission
The Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla was officially created as a Museum of Paintings in 1835, during the major confiscation and secularization of religious properties carried out by the liberal government of Juan Álvarez Mendizábal.
Hundreds of works from suppressed convents and monasteries needed to be protected and preserved. This became the foundation of the museum's extraordinary collection of religious painting and sculpture.
1835
A Royal Order established an artistic museum in Seville to preserve important works removed from religious institutions during the confiscations.
1841
The museum opened its doors to the public in the former Convent of La Merced Calzada.
The institution grew considerably during the following decades. Donations, acquisitions and private collections gradually expanded its scope beyond the religious works that had formed its original nucleus.
The museum occupies the former Convent of La Merced Calzada, an institution whose origins in Seville go back to the period following the Christian conquest of the city in the 13th century.
The medieval convent was substantially replaced in the early 17th century. In 1603, architect and sculptor Juan de Oviedo y de la Bandera prepared the plans for a new building, beginning one of the most important architectural transformations in the history of the complex.
1603
Construction of the new convent began after demolition of much of the earlier Mudéjar building.
1612
The convent church was completed. The rest of the complex continued to develop for almost another half century.
The result is considered one of the finest examples of Andalusian Mannerist architecture. Courtyards, galleries, monumental staircases and the former convent church now form part of the visitor route.
The greatest strength of the museum is its exceptional representation of the Sevillian school of painting, especially during the 17th century, when Seville became one of the major artistic centres of Europe.
The names of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo and Francisco de Zurbarán dominate this period. Their paintings allow visitors to see two very different approaches to Spanish Baroque art: Murillo's luminous and emotional compositions and Zurbarán's intense, austere realism.
Murillo
The museum preserves one of the most important groups of works by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, making it an essential destination for understanding the Sevillian painter.
Zurbarán
Francisco de Zurbarán is represented by major religious works, including paintings originally created for Sevillian monastic institutions.
Other important artists connected with this period include Juan de Valdés Leal, Francisco Pacheco and Alonso Cano.
The collection also helps visitors understand the artistic environment in which Diego Velázquez was trained before leaving Seville for the royal court in Madrid.
Although its Golden Age collection is the museum's greatest attraction, the galleries cover a much broader period of Spanish art.
The ground floor includes medieval art, Renaissance works, altarpieces, Mannerism and the development of the Sevillian school during the 16th and 17th centuries.
18th & 19th Centuries
Later galleries trace the evolution of Spanish and Sevillian painting through Romanticism and the transformations of the 19th century.
20th Century
The museum's itinerary continues into modern painting, including important figures of the later Sevillian school.
Sculpture also forms an important part of the collection, particularly works connected with the religious artistic traditions of Seville and Andalusia.
Why Visit the Museo de Bellas Artes?
The Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla combines an exceptional historic building with one of Spain's most important collections of painting, particularly for the study of the Sevillian Baroque.
For anyone interested in Murillo, Zurbarán or the artistic history of Seville, it is one of the most rewarding visits in the city — and, with free admission for EU citizens and a general ticket of only €1.50, also one of the most accessible.
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