The Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum and Four Seasons Hotel Madrid have launched Art & Gourmet, a joint initiative that combines artistic heritage and haute cuisine through a private experience designed for the Christmas season. The initiative is aimed at an audience seeking personalised cultural formats and gastronomic experiences linked to artistic narratives.
The experience begins early in the morning, at 9 a.m., when the museum is closed to the general public. In this context, an expert accredited by the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum conducts a closed-door guided tour focusing on the relationship between art and gastronomy. The tour offers an analysis of different works in the permanent collection in which food is represented not only as an everyday element, but also as a symbol of status, social ritual and cultural construction.
Throughout the visit, we examine how artists have used colour, texture and composition to convey sensations linked to the act of eating and visual pleasure, drawing parallels between the creative processes of painting and cooking. The tour lasts between 60 and 90 minutes, with the possibility of extending it for an additional fee.
After the tour, the experience continues at the Four Seasons Hotel Madrid, where the programme moves to El Patio, the hotel lobby. There, a tasting menu designed specifically for this collaboration is offered, in which each dish takes a specific work from the Thyssen collection as its starting point, transferring its historical context and visual language to the gastronomic sphere.
Menu offerings include a culinary interpretation inspired by Jacob Ochtervelt’s Eating Oysters (1665–1669), a dish based on Vittore Carpaccio’s Young Gentleman in a Landscape (1505) by Vittore Carpaccio, a contemporary recreation linked to Nedick’s (1970) by Richard Estes, and a dessert developed from Adam and Eve (1507–1508) by Jan Gossaert. Each dish is presented as a conceptual translation of the canvas onto the plate, maintaining a common narrative thread.
Art & Gourmet is offered in a private format for groups of between two and seven people, with fixed rates per group ranging from £725 to £1,100, including VAT. The offer cannot be combined with other offers and includes special conditions for tour operators upon request. The gastronomic tasting lasts approximately 90 minutes.
The experience is available from Tuesday to Sunday, both at the museum and at the hotel, and requires advance booking at least three working days in advance, as well as full payment at the time of confirmation. Cancellations can be made free of charge up to 72 hours before the reserved date.
With this collaboration, the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum and Four Seasons Hotel Madrid reinforce their commitment to proposals that expand the traditional cultural experience, integrating a visit to the museum with a gastronomic dimension designed for the luxury sector and high-end cultural tourism.
