The Central Archive conserves the documentation produced by the Museo from its beginnings in 1986 as the Centro de Arte Reina Sofía to the present day. Furthermore, it incorporates part of the documentation produced by preceding institutions: the Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno, the Museo Nacional de Arte Contemporáneo and the Museo Español de Arte Contemporáneo. Today, its volume totals 8,000 archive items (standardised archive boxes).