Museo de Escultura al Aire Libre de La Castellana

The Museo de Escultura al Aire Libre de La Castellana is an art museum located beneath the Eduardo Dato Bridge on Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid. Seventeen abstract sculptures are spread across approximately 4,200 square meters of open space under an elevated highway, where columns, concrete walls, and pathways frame the artworks.

The museum was established in 1972 when engineers José Antonio Fernández Ordóñez and Julio Martínez Calzón joined artist Eusebio Sempere to transform the space beneath the bridge into an art venue. This conversion of an underused urban infrastructure into a public cultural space marked a turning point in how Madrid thought about its public areas.

The collection shows work by Spanish artists from two generations, including Joan Miró, Eduardo Chillida, and Pablo Serrano. As you walk around, you notice how abstract forms speak to the urban setting and to each other across the open space.

The museum is located near Rubén Darío metro station and is free to visit year-round with no restricted hours. The sculptures are best viewed during daylight when natural light reveals their forms fully, and visiting on quieter times of day lets you walk around without feeling rushed.

The space was deliberately placed beneath an active highway where traffic noise and constant urban rhythm above create an unexpected tension with the quiet abstract forms below. This contrasting position makes it a rare example where artistic contemplation sits embedded within living, functioning city infrastructure.

Location: Madrid

Inception: 1972

Official opening: February 9, 1979

Website: http://munimadrid.es/museoairelibre

GPS coordinates: 40.43303,-3.68748

Latest update: December 12, 2025 12:05