The Thyssen-Bornemisza family built the world's finest art collection. It moved to Madrid in 1992, completing the city's golden triangle of museums.

Sympathetically remodelled, the spacious 19th-century Palacio de Villahermosa is the perfect setting for an art history lesson spanning seven centuries of European and American art. The lesson begins on the top floor, where the 13th- to 15th-century religious works positively glow, thanks to excellent lighting. Next come a succession of fascinating early Renaissance portraits. In Room 5, near Hans Holbein the Younger's classic portrait of Henry VIII of England, is Francesco Cossa's intriguing 15th-century Portrait of a Man. This is an experiment in trompe l'oeil and perspective as a hand holds out a ring for you to inspect. Room 20 has two Flemish masterpieces, lit as fiercely as a movie set: Esau selling his Birthright (1627) by Hendrik Terbrugghen and Supper at Emmaus (1633) by Matthias Stom.