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Archaeological Museum of Málaga

Diputación de Málaga
Museo de Málaga 2

Archaeological Museum of Málaga

Palacio de la Aduana 1
Zip Code 29015
951294085
Schedule - Abierto de martes a sábado de 9 a 21h y domingos de 9 a 15h. Lunes cerrado
Cultural Areas > Museums

It boasts prehistoric items from the most significant sites in Málaga, including the exceptionally well-preserved jawbone and femur of a Neanderthal individual that were found in the Cueva del Boquete cave in Zarraraya (Alcaucín).

This is the most important museum institution covering the province of Málaga. Its collections include the largest number of archaeological and artistic artefacts in the region. Formed in 1973, it brought together the former Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes (Provincial Museum of Fine Arts) and Museo Arqueológico Provincial (Provincial Archaeological Museum). As of 2010, the museum remains institutionally divided into two ‘sections’ corresponding to the older museums. There are slightly over 2,000 pieces in the Fine Arts collection and over 15,000 in the Archaeology collection.

The museum exhibits objects and material that date back to the protohistorical times—from the 1st millennium BCE. They belong to sites that showcase the multiculturalism involved in the formation of city-states, such as Malaka, as well as of complex societies in the provincial hinterland. It also boasts prehistoric items from the most significant sites in Málaga, including the exceptionally well-preserved Neanderthal jawbone and femur that were found in the Cueva del Boquete cave in Zarraraya.

Chronological history of the museum:

- Provincial Museum of Fine Arts (1913-1973)
- Provincial Archaeological Museum (1947-1973)
- Creation of the Museum of Málaga (1973-2016)
- The Museum of Málaga today

The Museum of Málaga today

It opened to the public on 12 December 2016, integrating for the first time the collections of the Provincial Archaeological Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, and becoming the biggest museum in Andalusia and the 5th in Spain. Well-known authorities inaugurated the museum, including Francisco de la Torre (Mayor of Málaga), Susana Díaz (President of the Andalusian Regional Government), Rosa Aguilar (Councillor for Culture) and Íñigo Méndez (Minister of Culture).

The museum spreads over the ground floor and three floors that are divided into two different sections: the Fine Arts section on the first floor and the Archaeological section on the second floor.

Ground floor

The 2nd-century Roman statue known as La Dama de la Aduana awaits visitors at the entrance. A little further ahead, follows the well-restored patio of the Palacio de la Aduana—former customs house—which is freely accessible and boasts orange and palm trees, a fountain, and information panels on the building's history, including Queen Isabella II's visit in 1862. Other facilities on this floor include the Museum Shop, a temporary exhibitions hall, the cloakroom, the cafeteria, and the storeroom, where visitors can find under-restoration artworks.

First floor: the Fine Arts section

Boasting a total of 2,000 works, the Fine Arts section of the Museum of Málaga includes canvases and sculptures by old masters of art—Luis de Morales, Luca Giordano, Murillo, Antonio del Castillo, Alonso Cano, Ribera, Vicente Carducho, Pedro de Mena, and Zurbarán.

The institution houses what is considered to be one of the largest 19th-century painting collections in Spain, including works by painters such as Sorolla, Carlos de Haes, Federico Madrazo, Esquivel, Vicente López Portaña and Ramón Casas, as well as some of the most acclaimed members of the so-called “Málaga School of Painting”: Moreno Carbonero, Pedro Sáenz Sáenz, Enrique Simonet, Muñoz Degrain, José Nogales and Bernardo Ferrándiz. On the international scene, it displays works by León Bonnat and the German avant-garde artist Franz Marc.

It also offers a compelling collection of Spanish modern art up to the fifties—Picasso, José Moreno Villa, Rafael Canogar, Juan Barjola, Óscar Domínguez and Josep Guinovart, among others—along with a small space dedicated to the transformation of the two museums into the current unified one. Informative videos of the process are available, like the one showing the demonstration carried out by local people in 1997 calling for the opening of the museum.

Second floor: the Archaeological section

Its archaeological collection comprises over 15,000 items, spanning a historical period from the 8th century BCE to the Middle Ages: Egyptian, Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Arabic, Christian and Byzantine. Recent decades have seen the incorporation of artefacts from the excavations carried out by the University of Málaga, as well as different lots from the preventive and emergency archaeological interventions that have taken place in the urban centre of Málaga.

Third floor

Facilities include a restaurant, a library open to researchers, and the museum's viewpoint, which offers a unique view of Málaga over the Alcazaba, the Gibralfaro Castle and the Roman Theatre.

Opening hours:
Tuesday to Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sunday 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Monday closed.

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Discover more about the province of Malaga

Discover more about the province of Malaga