LLEI D'ART 10

Salón de los Reinos (Hall of the Kingdoms), the last vestiges of the Buen Retiro Palace. However from the outside the link between the new and old buildings is hidden beneath a platform planted with box, recalling the 18th century gardens and offering an urban space that connects with the Botanical Garden next door. The new space of brick and granite constructed around the old Claustro de los Jerónimos is aligned with the façade of the church, which allows an external view of the restored arcade. Its own façade opens out to the new urban space with some monumental bronze doors by the sculptor Cristina Iglesias commissioned by the architect. Inside there is a surprising use of the available space: three floors of public access joined by a double escalator and another five mezzanines for the museum’s internal services. The predominant presence of Colmenar stone and bronze works as a nexus for the constructive qualities of Villanueva’s primitive factory. Outside, opposite the main façade, is the statue of Velázquez as an homage to Spanish painting and the artist himself. The work is by Aniceto Marinas and was inaugurated in 1899 in the presence of the Queen Regent and Alphonse XIII. Salón de los Reinos del antiguo Palacio del Buen Retiro/ Hall of the Kingdoms. Buen Retiro Palace. © Outisnn 141