Brimming with caricatures, photographs, archival video footage and dance costumes, the exhibit occupies 14 rooms on the third floor of the museum and will take at least an hour and a bit (y pico) to enjoy properly. The show includes big Vanguard names, including Manet, Picasso, Miró and Man Ray, as well as iconic Spanish painters like Solana and Romero de Torres. But it centers on the meeting of the salon and the street, of the reflecting of this frenetic music and dance form through the artistic prism.

Through the artistic representations of flamenco, we grasp for clues to understanding Spanish folklore, fashion, politics and sexual roles. Spanish national character on this stage is at once brazen and coquettish, flamboyant and somber, obvious and elusive.

The only major failing of the exhibit is that you’ll be out of luck for descriptions if you don’t read Spanish (if I recall correctly; let me know if I overlooked translations). At any rate, the art itself is transfixing enough to overcome any lack of words.

See our full Reina Sofia write-up for location and opening times.

I’d recommend whizzing up to the second floor in one of the über-modern glass elevators to begin your tour. This is where you’ll find Picasso, Dalí, Miró, and Gris: the heart of the permanent collection. One of my favorite rooms on the second floor, though, is beyond Guernica in the tiny sala 8, which is home to photos of Madrid taken during the Guerra Civil—the Telefónica building barricaded with sandbags and the like. If you have the time and energy, swing through the fourth floor to catch works from the latter half of the 20th century to present day.

Don’t forget to check out what’s on in the temporary exhibits in the expansion of the museum—they could be well worth it. And keep in mind that there’s plenty to do besides looking at paintings: the courtyard garden of the main building is a lovely place to sit on a nice day, and the cafeteria/restaurant Arola (in the expansion) offers food and drink in a decidedly 21st-century setting. You also shouldn’t miss La Central, the museum’s excellent bookshop.

Free entry: Sat. 14.30-21.00 and Sun. 10.00-14.30. General admission at other times: 6 euros. Closed Tuesdays. More details

Metro: Atocha. Calle Santa Isabel, 52. See map below:

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