Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes (The Municipal Museum of Fine Arts ), Santa Cruz de Tenerife

The Municipal Museum of Fine Arts offers a splendid journey through centuries of Iberian and Flemish art. Housed since 1929 in a graceful Neoclassical building designed by Eladio Laredo, it boasts an elegant façade adorned with ten busts of illustrious Canary Island figures-among them poets, composers, scientists, and painters-welcoming you into its 14 thoughtfully curated halls.

The roots of the museum stretch back to 1840, when the city preserved captured flags from the 1797 Battle of Santa Cruz, laying the groundwork for a public art collection. The current building, a pioneering cultural structure for the islands, was completed in 1933, incorporating elements of an old Franciscan convent and elegant reclaimed mosaic flooring from the 1929 Seville Expo.

Inside, visitors can admire a diverse permanent collection spanning Flemish masterpieces of the 16th century to early 20th century Spanish and Canarian works . Among the highlights are Pieter Coecke van Aelst’s breathtaking “Triptych of Nava and Grimón”, a richly detailed altarpiece. You’ll also find pieces like Ribera’s "San José" and Sorolla’s elegant "Portrait of Fernando Viscaí".

Beyond its galleries, the museum offers guided visits, city heritage tours, book presentations, lectures, and occasional musical recitals.