Located in the Horse Yard of the Monumental in Madrid, the Bullfighting Museum of Madrid houses one of the most important collections of our country
Through the Horse Yard of the Bullring of Las Ventas you can access to the Museum, which is divided into six areas besides the vestibule. Paintings, sculptures, engravings, models, photographs, lithographs, posters, documents, clothing, tackle, bulls…many objects tell us the history of bullfighting from the eighteenth century to today and, especially, in Madrid.
One of the most valuable groups is ‘Tauromaquia de Goya’. In forty etched engravings, the painter collects different ways of bullfighting. We can spend hours observing the traces of genius.
Mariano Ceballos, El Indio. Sheet XXXIV of Goya.
The exhibition of light dresses and walking capes is very rich and curious, reflecting the changes in clothing throughout history. There are also very significant garments like Joselito’s vest on the day he lost his life in Talavera de la Reina, that of Marcial Lalanda in his farewell to Madrid, Manolete’s dress when Islero killed him in Linares that fateful afternoon in August 1947… Capes of Juan Belmonte, Domingo Ortega or Gregorio Sánchez fill the showcases of the Museum.
Women also occupy a prominent place: different belongings of the first bullfighter woman, Juanita Cruz, the confirmation dress of Cristina Sánchez or Angela clothes.
The posters of the different editions of the Charity Bullfights, special and particular each year, form an important collection, since many of them have been created by great artists.
How could it be otherwise, the heads of some of the most famous (for very different reasons…) bulls hang on its walls, like that of ‘Burlero’, the bull from Marcos Núñez that went through the heart of José Cubero ‘Yiyo’ on August 30, 1985 in Colmenar Viejo Bullring.
The Bullfighting Museum of Madrid is an essential place in your visit to Las Ventas.
Happy week and very Merry Christmas, bullfighting lovers!
