A striking new cinema glows inside Madrid’s Reina Sofia Museum

A defining trait of the Reina Sofia Museum is its beguiling conflux of architectural styles. A key pillar of Madrid’s art mile, it occupies the bones of an 18th-century hospital designed by José de Hermosilla and Francisco Sabatini, formative figures in the city’s neoclassical fabric. The museum’s opening in 1990 followed an extensive renovation shaped by several practices, with its later expansion – and most recognisable form – realised through the contextual vision of Jean Nouvel.

The new cinema at Reina Sofia Museum

The modern and contemporary art museum’s architectural legacy continues to evolve, its next chapter marked by the transformation of a former auditorium, built in 1987 by Jaume Bach with Gabriel Mora, into an enclave devoted to audiovisual arts.

Bach now revisits the project alongside Anna and Eugeni Bach, dreaming up a new cinema and auditorium that conjure the visual sensibilities of cinematic worlds ranging from Luis Buñuel to David Lynch, and from Pedro Almodóvar to Aki Kaurismäki. It also nods to the legacy of the neighbouring Cine Doré and Stockholm’s Bio Skandia.

Situated within the Sabatini building, Bach sought to preserve the venue’s singular character. The generous vaulted entrance hall retains a preserved serliana that conceals a triangular projection hub framed by velvet curtains. The old hospital windows have been closed with wooden panels, their carved raindrop motifs offering a tactile contrast to the overarching red palette.

The screening room transitions into deeper blue tones to prevent reflections. Here, the 133-seat area has been reconfigured to increase the slope and improve sightlines to the screen, while the emblematic suspended triangle has been reimagined as a large acoustic screen concealing the central speakers.

‘The blue of the sky and the red of the carpet recall classical theatres, establishing a link between the function of the space and the tradition of cinema, especially since it is located in a neoclassical building,’ says Bach.

The new cinema will host the museum’s film and new-media program throughout the year. It is also available for private hire, tailored for events ranging from meetings, courses and conferences to screenings, presentations and press gatherings.

Reina Sofia Museum is located at Santa Isabel, 52. 28012 Madrid, Spain.