Thyssen Scene

This is a view into the courtyard of Madrid's Thysssen Museum (pronouced "tissen" :). I blipped it against the floor-to-ceiling window of the museum's restaurant. Reflections from inside the restaurant include the orchids, the main counter, and many white tables and chairs. It was the end of the afternoon, so almost no one was in the restaurant.

The museum was our day's outing; it holds the collection of Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza (1921-2002)--the Wiki article makes interesting reading. Thyssen inherited most of the collection in 1947 from his father Heinrich Thyssen; it then consisted of European masters from the 14th to the 19th centuries; his main occupation was adding 20th century works. The large family fortune derived mainly from the Thyssen steel empire, a major force in 20th century German industry. Thyssen married his 5th and last wife, Carmen "Tita" Cervera, in 1985; she was a former Miss Spain and was probably the main influence on the sale of the collection to the Spanish government in 1993 for $350 million. It had already been mostly moved to Madrid from its previous venue in Lugano, Switzerland.