Museums in Historic Centre (Sevilla)

Casa de Pilatos

This wonderful old house in the center of the city is open to the the public all day. Its numerous rooms are full of antique furniture and collections of vases, plates and silverware spanning many different historical time periods. There's an important collection of paintings dating from the 16th-19th centuries as well. The Spanish Royal Family and sundry members of the aristocracy stay here when they come to Seville and the house closes on those days.

Palacio de las Dueñas

This palace is the property and residence of the Duchess of Alba, the person with the most noble titles in Spain. The Machado brothers were born here, and this fact is depicted in the painted tiles on the palace's outside walls, otherwise built of brick. Although it is not open to the public, it is worth having a look at from the outside. Its central location means that you are likely to walk past it on a stroll through the centre anyway. The palace gate is a typical place to have your photo taken, with the flower-filled courtyard in the background.

Museo Catedralicio

The cathedral where you can find this museum stands where the 12th Century Great Mosque stood, whose minaret, now called 'La Giralda' can still be seen. It is the biggest Gothic Temple in the world, and the third biggest Christian temple. Inside the museum, you can find a complete collection of sacred art, paintings, sculptures, silver and gold work and furniture from the era. You will also find the cathedral's Baroque sacristy and the sculptures by Montañés, Murillo and Valdés Leal a magnificent sight.

Museo Militar Regional

Found in the Plaza de España, emblematic site of the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, and close to other constructions from the event such as the Pabellón Mudéjar (Mudéjar Pavilion), today the Museum of Art and Popular Customs (Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares), the Archeological Museum, and the Pabellón Real (Royal Pavilion). The Regional Military Museum is heir to a large part of the Ancient Equestrian Artillery Society of Seville (Antigua Maestranza de Artillería de Sevilla) collection, to which elements of Military Firearms and other arms from different units, centers, and organizations of the Southern Military Region have been added. The Museum contains many different rooms. The Capitanía Room, in rememberance and hommage to this military institution, exhibits a collection of antique steel weapons from the 15th Century, as well as diverse firearms from Spain and other countries. The parapet and the crank harquebus (matchlock gun from the 15th Century) deserve special mention. The Adalid Room receives its name in memory of the Adalid, a war-time leader, a position in the Spanish militia that equaled what would later be the Field Master. In this room a money-storage box from the United States and a trunk from the 16th Century with an interesting security mechanism in perfect working condition are carefully kept. The Huestes and Mesnadas Room evokes the craftsmanship that served as a base for the first military industry. Diverse crafts such as carpentry, steel working, printing, chemical, electrical, etc. The Cuartel Maestre Avenue is the principal artery of the museum. Here two cannons from the era of Felipe V, authentic jewels of bronze melting are displayed. Admission is free.

Galería Álvaro

You can find various different styles of artwork in this gallery, including paintings, comics, stories, sculptures, engravings, etc., but what really predominates are the photographs. The exhibitions are usually on show here for about a month. The photographs on display include examples of different styles, from black and white portraits to landscapes. You can also enjoy the montages by imaginative, contemporary artists whose work plays tricks on the eye of the observer. The gallery is divided up into different rooms where you can find anything from photographs to sculptures.

Sala San Fernando

This gallery's sculpture exhibitions usually last about 45 days. The young artists who exhibit in this gallery, sponsored by Caja San Fernando, use iron as their main material, and show great skill in working with it. The sculptures are given very varied connotations, and the empty spaces left are a perfect complement to the rest of the work. They are sculptures full of creativity that manage to combine the language of the most absolute abstract art with naturalism. You can enjoy this form of static art, and let your imagination fly free.

Galería Casa de la Provincia

This is one of the buildings that has most recently undergone work to modernise and redesign it to turn it into a gallery. The artwork on display tends to be contemporary Constructivist painting. These works of art seem to set out in practice the basic concepts of Constructivism. The paintings belonging to this genre are characterised by their geometric shapes and the strict sense of order reflected in them. In spite of being representational, they sometimes come close to abstract art because they are so schematic. Color is one of the most important elements, since it helps to establish order in the composition.