Madrid's Museo Sorolla reopened on 15 October after a two-year closure, unveiling the first phase of a €14m expansion — although the painter's historic house itself remains shut for restoration. The 1,698 sq m extension, designed by Nieto Sobejano, adds exhibition galleries, an auditorium and storage facilities. Its inaugural show, Behind the Artist's House: The Architecture of the Sorolla Museum, 1905–2026, traces the building's evolution. Joaquín Sorolla (1863–1923), celebrated for his luminous Mediterranean beach scenes, personally oversaw the construction of his atelier-home in 1909–11; it holds the world's largest collection of his work, including 1,394 paintings and around 5,000 drawings. The overhaul had become unavoidable. Opened as a museum in 1932, the house was conceived for a family of four and its staff; by 2023, the centenary of Sorolla's death, it welcomed 344,799 visitors — up 40% on 2022 — and, in director Enrique Valera's words, the building was exhausted. The entire collection, more than 7,000 objects plus thousands of photographs, had to be moved out; work began in January 2022 and the museum closed in October 2024. In 2009 the culture ministry had already bought two adjoining properties, adding to the museum's 1,432 sq m of usable floor space — yet the historic layout still defeated modern visitor services. The new building brings step-free access throughout — long demanded by visitors — alongside climate-controlled storage and a proper restoration studio, increasingly urgent as Madrid's summers grow hotter. Phase two, restoring the historic house with its Rococo, Classical and Empire interiors and Sorolla-designed gardens, is expected to take about two more years.