The other face of the avant-garde
SEP.24.2026 ──────── JAN.10.2027
Else Blankenhorn
Untitled [Nocturnal Riverside Landscape], 1908–1919
© Prinzhorn Collection, Heidelberg University Hospital
Exhibition
SEP.24.2026 ── JAN.10.2027
Where
Recoletos Exhibition Hall
Paseo Recoletos 23, 28004 Madrid
Opening hours:
Mondays (except holidays): 2 pm – 8 pm
Tuesday to Saturday: 11 am – 8 pm
Sunday and holidays: 11 am – 7 pm
*The evacuation of the hall starts 10 minutes before closing time. Last access (7:30 pm or 6:30 pm) only allows a 20 minutes tour to the exhibitions.
Closed:
December 25th, January 1st, 5th and 6th
Limited opening hours:
December 24th and 31st; January 5th:
11 am – 3 pm
General Ticket:
5 €
Free Admission time:
Mondays, 2 pm to 8 pm (except holidays)
Buses: 5 – 14 – 27 – 37 – 45 – 53 – 150
www.emtmadrid.es
Subway: Line 4 (Colón), line 2 (Banco de España) and line 5 (Chueca)
www.metromadrid.es
Trains: C-2, C-7, C-8 and C-10
www.renfe.com
Available online in Spanish and English. Online format, accessible via mobile without downloads or installations.
Included with the individual ticket. More information in the “Tickets” section.
Ramp for wheelchair access – The three floors of the hall are accessed by a generously-sized elevator.
Locker Service.
LAIE Tel. 911 703 851 fmapfre@laie.es
Press
To get the press kit or any other info, just reach out to our Press Office.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the psychiatrist and art historian Hans Prinzhorn assembled at the Psychiatric Clinic of Heidelberg University a collection of works created by people living in mental institutions. Drawings, paintings, sculptures, textiles, and objects that had previously been regarded primarily as medical material began to be appreciated for their artistic value.
This new perspective proved decisive, as it made it possible to recognize in these creations not only the reflection of an illness, but also remarkable creative ability, expressive intensity, and formal freedom. For many avant-garde artists, these works opened up a different way of thinking about art, far removed from academic conventions and established models.
Prinzhorn’s ideas were presented in Expressions of Madness (1922), a seminal book that brought the collection to international attention and had a wide-reaching impact on artists and intellectuals. Expressionists, Dadaists, and Surrealists found in these works a creative energy that resonated with their desire to renew modern art.
During the 1930s, this relationship was manipulated by the Nazi regime, which used comparisons between modern art and the creations of psychiatric patients to discredit the avant-garde under the label Entartete Kunst (Degenerate Art). After the Second World War, Jean Dubuffet revived Prinzhorn’s legacy and formulated the concept of Art Brut, through which he championed the value of works created outside official art institutions and dominant cultural conventions.
The other face of the avant-garde traces this history through a dialogue between works from the Prinzhorn Collection and pieces by some of the leading figures of modernity. The exhibition highlights these connections and invites reflection on who has been recognized —or excluded— within the narrative of art history.
Curator: Pilar Soler Montes
Buy tickets
The other face of the avant-garde
Select an option
Tickets
Online sale of tickets will be available since September 9th
Individual Ticket (includes audio guide)
- Includes access to all exhibitions.
- GENERAL ADMISSION: €5 / REDUCED ADMISSION: €3 (Beneficiaries of reduced admission).
- FREE ADMISSION:
- General Free Admission (€0): Mondays (except holidays) from 2 pm to 8 pm.
- Free admission for eligible groups: Click here to see the groups entitled to free entry and how to obtain these tickets.
- AUDIO GUIDE: All individual ticket types (general, reduced, free) include audio guide.
- The audio guide is available online via the QR code provided in the room using a mobile device with internet access. If you don’t have mobile data, you can connect to the free Wi-Fi available in the hall.
- Please use the audio guide with headphones, which are not included with your ticket. For sustainability reasons, we recommend that visitors bring their own. Headphones can be purchased (€1) during the online ticket purchase process or at the ticket office.
- IMPORTANT: The headphones provided are JACK type. Before purchasing them, make sure they are compatible with your mobile device.
- If you choose not to use headphones, please keep your cell phone close to your ear and at a low volume.
Guided Tour: The other face of the avant-garde (in Spanish)
- During a tour lasting approximately one hour, our cultural mediators explore the main themes of the exhibition, sharing with participants the historical and conceptual insights that allow for a deeper understanding of the dialogue between the artistic avant-garde and works created within the psychiatric field, as well as their influence on the development of Art brut.
- Price: €7. The ticket also allows for a self-guided visit to the rest of the exhibitions.
- Hours:TUESDAY: 11:30 pm and 4:30 pm. Groups consist of a maximum of 14 people. Approximate duration: 45 minutes.
- IMPORTANT: The visit is carried out in Spanish with an audio-guided system. No translation into english is offered. Disposable headphones are provided, but for sustainability reasons we recommend you to bring your own headphones.
Mapfre Clients
- Mapfre offers to its policyholders 2 free tickets (4 if Platinum Client) for each exhibition season. To obtain courtesy tickets of Mapfre, access the online ticket office and follow the purchase process. Tickets are discounted at the end of the purchase process: before payment, the program will request your ID and will automatically activate the free tickets that correspond to you.
- You can also get them at the ticket office in the room, presenting your ID.
- Invitations must be used in a single visit.
- Any question you have, please check these simple instructions.
Collaborating Entities
- If you belong to any of the entities that collaborate with Fundación Mapfre, you must obtain your reduced ticket (€1 or €3) at the ticket office in the room.
Audio Guide (headphones)
- All individual ticket types (general, reduced, free) include audio guide.
- The audio guide is available online via the QR code provided in the room using a mobile device with internet access. If you don’t have mobile data, you can connect to the free Wi-Fi available in the hall.
- Please use the audio guide with headphones, which are not included with your ticket. For sustainability reasons, we recommend that visitors bring their own. Headphones can be purchased (€1) during the online ticket purchase process or at the ticket office.
- IMPORTANT: The headphones provided are JACK type. Before purchasing them, make sure they are compatible with your mobile device.
- If you choose not to use headphones, please keep your cell phone close to your ear and at a low volume.
Group Visit
- It’s mandatory for the Group Visit to have a guide or person in charge. To request a guide from the Foundation, ask please for information and rates to: cultura@fundacionmapfre.org
- The group must be made up of a minimum of 6 pax. a maximum of 15 pax (guide included).
- The use of an audio-guiding system is mandatory for the visit. If the group does not have its own, you must add it (€1/pax) during the online purchase process.
- Hours: MONDAYS: 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm; TUESDAYS: 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm ; WEDNESDAYS: 11:30 am, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm, and 6:00 pm ; THURSDAYS and FRIDAYS: 11:30 am, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm, 5:00 pm, and 6:00 pm. Maximum duration of the visit: 60 min.
- The formalization of the booking implies the acceptance of the Rules for the visit, especially those indicated for “Group Tour”.
€3/pax.
Schools
Educational activities for schools are developed entirely in Spanish. If you are interested please consult section Colegios y Familias.
Families
Educational activities for families are developed entirely in Spanish. If you are interested please consult section Colegios y Familias.
IMPORTANT: Before you start the ticket buying process, we strongly recommend that you take into account the following observations:
- Tickets changes or returns are not allowed except for justified force majeure.
- The purchase of tickets presupposes the acceptance of the Rules for the visit. We recommend reading it before entering the room.
- If your visit is scheduled for late in the afternoon, please remember that the room is cleared 10 minutes before closing time (7:50 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday; 6:50 p.m. on Sundays and public holidays).
- Fundación Mapfre is not responsible for the rates, schedules and other information applied on the websites of other entities where tickets for their exhibitions can be purchased.
- If the online ticket purchasing process is cancelled, suspended or cut off, please contact our support telephone numbers: +34 915 816 100 (attention exclusively during the opening hours of the exhibition hall).
- Other rates for eligible groups (44 KB)
If you need more information about the exhibition, you can see it here.
