Reina Sofia Museum Shop: all you need to know to enjoy it

One of the things you're sure to do in Madrid is to visit the Reina Sofía Museum, where you'll find the greatest works of contemporary art. But there you will also find one of the most important and unique shops in the capital. Far from being just a place to buy souvenirs or gifts from your visit to the museum, this boutique aims to be a point of reference and a place to go to buy exclusive pieces and designs.

Of course, in the Reina Sofía shop you can find gifts such as postcards, but also more original objects such as lamps, prints or decorative items. Whatever you decide to buy, you can be sure that the inspiration behind each item is a painting or a painter and that it has been created by contemporary designers, so you'll be taking home something unique to remember your visit.

During your visit to the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid you will find two shops. One is in the Sabatini building, just to the left as you enter (opposite the hall where you buy your tickets), and the other is on the 1st floor of the Nouvel, specifically in the lobby next to the lifts before entering the exhibition hall.

Beyond the location of the two shops, there is little difference between them, as they both sell pretty much the same things.

However, if you want to wait until the end of your visit to make your purchases, it is better to go to the shop in the Sabatini building, as it is normal to leave the museum through there. Besides, as it has a larger space, it tends to have more products. On the other hand, it is located at the entrance to the museum and not inside, so you can access it without the museum entrance.

However, the shop in the Nouvel building, as it is in the middle of the Reina Sofía tour, is usually quieter and there are not so many visitors shopping right at the end of the tour.

Be careful, if you're on a tight schedule, don't delay too long browsing the shelves; it's better to wait until you've finished seeing the entire collection and then make your purchases.

The Reina Sofía Museum is pure art, but its shop does not fall short. Why? Because the aim has always been to make it a point of reference for design and contemporary art. Therefore, you will not only find souvenirs such as mugs or T-shirts, but also unique objects by current designers.

Among the shelves of the Reina Sofía shop you will not only find postcards of the museum's most famous paintings, but also unique pieces of jewellery, prints or items to decorate your home. Of course, everything is inspired in some way by the collections exhibited there.

Exclusive designs

If you want to decorate your home with unique and artistic objects, don't miss out on a visit to the Reina Sofía Museum. There you will find a large collection of utensils for your kitchen and home, such as salt cellars, whose practicality is combined with a tribute to artists such as Frida Kahlo or Picasso.

All these items are designer items and, even if you can't take one of the paintings on display, you can incorporate a small work of art into the decoration of your home.

Gifts for everyone

Art is part of culture, so if you want to take home a souvenir to show that you have been to Madrid, and specifically to the Reina Sofía, you will be spoilt for choice in the Reina Sofía shop. What's more, there's a variety of gifts for everyone.

Because the museum knows no age, if you've travelled to Madrid with children, I'm sure they'll be hoping that their visit to the Reina Sofía, sometimes a bit boring for them, will end with a game as a souvenir that will make them appreciate the art they've seen.

Don't think that because it's a museum shop you'll only find the typical souvenirs, quite the opposite! If you're looking for something more original, my advice is to take a good look at the designer jewellery section, you're sure to find something unique in this great art boutique.

In fact, all the jewellery on sale is signed by current artists who have looked at what others such as Calder or Dalí did before them. As you can imagine, the manufacturing materials are of the highest quality, so you're sure to be successful with your gift.

A souvenir of the great artists

Naturally, the best-selling objects are those inspired by the best paintings in the Reina Sofía Museum, such as Picasso's Guernica. Of course, if you like other painters such as Dalí or Chillida, you will also be spoilt for choice.

All these artists, and the artistic styles they represent, form part of the general and permanent section of the shop, so it's difficult to run out of stock.

If you fancy having a recreation of Guernica in puzzle format or even on a cushion, you can do so and take home an object that recreates one of the most famous works of art in history.

Unique creations from the temporary collections

Don't think that visiting the shop once is enough; just as you should visit the Reina Sofía several times to see the temporary exhibitions, you should do the same in its boutiques. Why? Because with each new exhibition they launch collections of exclusive products inspired by it.

This is undoubtedly one of the great successes of the Reina Sofía shop, which has a team of designers to create the different pieces that, on an ongoing or temporary basis, they put on sale.

The best thing is that you can enter the shop in the Sabatini building even if you are not going to the museum, so if you know that there is an exhibition of an artist that catches your eye or that you like, you can see what designs they have created for the occasion.

After all, the Reina Sofía boutique aims to be much more than a souvenir shop in a museum, becoming a reference for buying books or exclusive pieces related to art.

I'm not going to kid you, the most eye-catching items in the Reina Sofía Museum shop tend to have a high price tag, such as the abstract masks (approximately 200€). Even so, don't worry, there are cheaper items, such as postcards (from €0.50) or designer pieces that cost around €10 (like the mugs).

The most positive thing about the shop is that the price range (between €1 and approximately €500) allows anyone to take home at least one souvenir of the Reina Sofía and all the art it contains. Please note that the price shown is the price you will pay, as there is no discount for buying a museum ticket.

The Reina Sofia shop has almost the same opening hours as the museum, although it closes a little earlier.

On Mondays and the days between Wednesday and Saturday it is open from 10am until 8.45pm, almost an hour before the general closing time (10pm). On Sundays it is only open until lunchtime, at 14:30h, although the one in the Nouvel building is open for an extra 45 minutes, until 14:45h. Be careful, the museum is closed on Tuesday and the shop is closed too.

Haven't you had time to buy something? My advice is to check the shop opening hours in advance, especially on which public holidays the museum is closed.

If you still run out of time or there's something you wanted to buy but didn't have, you're in luck, because the shop has an online version that is always available to buy a souvenir of the Reina Sofía wherever you are.

Don't feel like buying anything in the Reina Sofía shop? No problem, although I'm sure there will be something that catches your eye. In any case, I do recommend you at least go into the space in the Sabatini building. Why? Because it is a very beautiful place thanks to the large windows that flood it with light.

The wonderful light that enters the shop will make the pieces and designs sold there even more irresistible; especially on sunny days and just before closing, at dusk, there is lighting that brings out the colours of each object.

Let's not forget that most of the products are inspired by works such as those of Miró, which are full of colour, making the shop almost like another room in the museum and well worth a visit.

Even if there is no light, I don't think you lose anything by taking a stroll around the shop. After all, it is great designers and artists who sign (and inspire) each of the pieces on sale. You're sure to love the lamps or the prints that reinvent famous paintings - they're all art!

As soon as you set foot in the Reina Sofía Museum shop, you'll want to buy everything. That's because all the designs have a modern feel but at the same time are inspired by great contemporary classics.

So that you can make a good purchase and leave with a bag full of original souvenirs and not just souvenirs, I'd like to share some tips with you:

• It's best to shop in the Sabatini building shop; not only is it the biggest and has the most items, but it's also located just outside the museum, so you can buy once you've seen all the collections. This way, you can pick up a specific item inspired by your favourite painting or artist in the museum.
• If you want to buy a large decorative item, such as a lamp, I recommend browsing in the physical shop but ordering online; it will arrive quickly and easily at home and you won't have to carry the bulk of it all the way home.
• Don't just go for the "typical" stuff: Guernica-related products are the best sellers, but my advice is to get something more original, such as a design created as a result of a temporary exhibition or a book about art that is only sold there. Think that they are unique and you won't be able to find them anywhere else, whereas a postcard by Picasso is.
• If for some reason you prefer to do your shopping before starting your visit to the museum, remember that you can't bring bags or rucksacks, so you'll have to leave everything at one of the lockers at the entrance to the Reina Sofía.

Remember, your visit to the Reina Sofía is not over until you take a stroll around the shop. Let me know what you've bought!