Fundación Bancaja

Beside the lively Plaça de Tetuan, in an elegant building in the centre, the Fundación Bancaja runs temporary exhibitions without a permanent collection of its own: the appeal is a rotating programme that, season after season, brings major art names to the city without having to travel to Madrid or Barcelona. From Sorolla to Picasso, from photography to design, the line-up changes with each show.

What makes it special

The foundation holds an important collection of graphic work, especially by Picasso, paired with loans from institutions such as the Sorolla Museum in Madrid, the Reina Sofía, and the Picasso museums of Barcelona and Málaga. This has let it stage exhibitions such as one that gathered dozens of Joaquín Sorolla oils, with canvases that rarely leave the Madrid museum, and shows devoted to a more intimate Picasso: the portraits of Jacqueline and photographs of his everyday life.

What to see

• The current temporary exhibitions: painting, photography, printmaking or design, always carefully curated.
• The building itself, a stately, well-restored venue with spacious, light-filled rooms.
• The location, a step from the Mercado de Colón and the Modernista Eixample.

Practical tips

Check what is on first, because the programme changes several times a year; between shows the hall may be closed for installation. Admission to the major exhibitions is usually paid, with reduced rates for students, pensioners, large families and the unemployed, and there are often days or time slots with special conditions; ask at the ticket desk. It is an easy walk from the Estació del Nord and from the historic centre.

INSIDER TIP: Sorolla lovers have a secret card to play here. When the foundation programmes the painter of light, it often brings works that in Madrid hang in packed galleries but that in València can be admired far more calmly; go first thing on a weekday morning and you'll have the paintings almost to yourself. If you're hungry for more art, pair the visit with the Hortensia Herrero Art Centre and check the events agenda in case it coincides with an activity. To plan your day, our guide on what to do in València will help.