The Círculo de Bellas Artes (CBA) is a private, nonprofit cultural institution. Ever since it was founded in 1880 by a small group of artists, it has played a major role of international scope in the field of cultural creation and diffusion. The Nobel Prize-winning dramatist Jacinto Benavente frequently visited the center and Picasso attended painting classes there.

The Circulo de Bellas Artes is a major multidisciplinary center with one of the most active cultural programs in Madrid and Europe. It has several exhibition rooms, a cinema, a theatre, concert halls, lecture halls, a library, a cafeteria and a shop, among other facilities. Every day the center develops a number of activities ranging from fine arts to science, through literature.