A clear and engaging journey through the major artistic movements of the century, perfect for those who want to understand the evolution of modern Italian art.
The Museo del Novecento, inside the Palazzo dell’Arengario in Piazza del Duomo, is connected to it by a suspended walkway.
It exhibits more than three hundred works selected from the more than four thousand works of Italian art from the 20th and 21st centuries that make up the Civic Art Collections.
The entrance is dominated by a spiral staircase that leads to the exhibition floors
The Permanent Collection traces the main stages of the history of contemporary art, intertwining chronological order with a critical-thematic interpretation.
The story begins with the Galleria del Futurismo, accessed via a large spiral ramp inside the building, offering a breathtaking view of the Duomo that introduces the visit. It continues, on the fourth and fifth floors, with the period from the 1920s to the 1950s, arriving in the Sala Fontana, where the artist’s light installation symbolically embraces the city.
The exhibition concludes with the rooms dedicated to art from the 1960s to the 1990s.
Unmissable Works and Movements
The Fourth Estate – Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo
The museum’s signature work, a 1901 masterpiece and symbol of social struggles, ideally opens the exhibition on the twentieth century. It is displayed in a dedicated room with spectacular lighting.
Avant-Garde and Futurism
A rich section with works by Umberto Boccioni (such as Unique Forms of Continuity in Space), Giacomo Balla, Carlo Carrà, and Fortunato Depero. The museum has one of the most important Futurist collections in the world.
Abstract and World Art
Works by artists such as Lucio Fontana (founder of Spatialism), Fausto Melotti, Atanasio Soldati, and Bruno Munari.
The Italian Twentieth Century
Works by Giorgio de Chirico (Metaphysical Painting), Giorgio Morandi, Mario Sironi, and Arturo Martini.
Postwar and Informal Art
Works by Alberto Burri (with his famous sacks and combustions), Emilio Vedova, and Giuseppe Capogrossi.
The Sixties and Eighties
The section dedicated to Arte Povera, with artists such as Mario Merz (igloo), Jannis Kounellis, Alighiero Boetti, Michelangelo Pistoletto (mirrors), Piero Manzoni: Achrome and the famous Artist’s Shit n. 42
Terrace overlooking the Arengario
On the first floor of the museum is a terrace/café with a spectacular and unique view of Milan’s Duomo. This is a reason in itself to visit the museum, even without seeing the collection (access to the terrace is included in the museum ticket).
View of the Piazza
The museum is also famous for its large window overlooking the Duomo, perfect for photos and panoramic views.
Museo del Novecento
Palazzo dell’Arengario
Piazza Duomo 8
Milan
Lombardy – Italy
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