Temporary exhibitions

One of the main tasks of Patrimonio Nacional is to show citizens the vast historical and artistic heritage it houses, with 154,000 exceptional pieces from all the decorative arts. For this reason, every year there are several temporary exhibitions open to the public which provide information about this great variety of collections. The Temporary Exhibition Rooms at the Royal Palace of Madrid are currently hosting an exhibition entitled "The Other Court: Women of the House of Austria in the Royal Monasteries of Las Descalzas and La Encarnación", which has been extended until September 15. It reflects the close connection between these two monasteries, their founders and a number of historical female figures who were linked to them. The eleven rooms take the spectator into the artistic, religious and political life of the 16th and 17th centuries.  

There is also room for some more contemporary exhibitions, such as the one organized in 2019 on the humanitarian mediation of King Alfonso XIII in the First World War, on the occasion of the one hundred year anniversary of the conflict. There are other Patrimonio Nacional sites that have also hosted exhibitions, such as the Royal Site of San Lorenzo of El Escorial, which commemorated the 500th anniversary of the death of Hieronymous Bosch in 2016 with an exhibition of some of his best works, and the Royal Monastery of Santa Clara in Tordesillas, which in 2017 commemorated the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Charles V. In this way, the Institution gives the public access to works of art that, due to their characteristics and location, cannot available on a full-time basis.