Casa Masaccio – Centro per l'arte contemporanea

About the museum

Casa Masaccio is considered the longest-established institution of contemporary art in Tuscany. The building is one of the few houses attributed to a Renaissance master, Tommaso Cassai known as Masaccio, whose authenticity is sufficiently documented. In the 1930s the scholar Ugo Procacci carried out research that led the Municipality to buy it and, after restoration, to open it in 1978.

The intended purpose was a municipal picture gallery to collect the works produced by the Premio di pittura Masaccio (Masaccio Painting Prize, 1958–1968). The prize was born in the cultural climate of post-war reconstruction and gradually became an investigation of trends in national art. The last edition, in 1968, brought together 37 artists, including Alighiero Boetti, Giulio Paolini and Gilberto Zorio, and anticipated the atmosphere of that year's Venice Biennale. The centre's current vocation derives from this experience: since 1980 it has offered an increasingly ambitious programme of exhibitions.

Over time the municipal gallery has become a centre for contemporary art and a museum of regional importance, with exhibitions, lectures, workshops, film series and concerts. The Collezione comunale d'arte contemporanea (Municipal Collection of Contemporary Art) includes works by participants in the Premio Masaccio, among them Giovanni Anselmo and Alighiero Boetti, donations and acquisitions from the 1980s and 1990s, the outcomes of recent residencies, and a broad video section. The permanent collection and the educational section are based in Casa Giovanni Mannozzi.

Highlights

• Masaccio's birthplace, restored and opened in 1978
• Municipal collection of contemporary art linked to the Premio Masaccio
• Works by Giovanni Anselmo, Alighiero Boetti and Mauro Staccioli
• Multimedia app with audio descriptions and videos in LIS
• Free admission

Permanent exhibition

• Collezione comunale d'arte contemporanea – Works by participants in the Premio Masaccio, donations and acquisitions, the outcomes of residencies and a video section. The permanent collection is housed at Casa Giovanni Mannozzi.

Founded

1983

Operated by

Comune di San Giovanni Valdarno (servizi educativi: Fondazione MUS.E)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description

The museum is on three levels and is accessible to people with physical disabilities only on the ground floor; the other two levels are visited with a multimedia app. The free app “Casa Masaccio” (Italian and English) offers three routes with audio descriptions and videos in LIS (Italian Sign Language) and International Sign. People with disabilities have priority entry. Guide dogs are admitted with harness and lead; other assistance dogs only with certification, to be reported in advance. The museum is in a limited traffic zone (ZTL): vehicles with a permit may enter after prior notice to the Punto Amico (WhatsApp +39 347 258 8693). Reserved parking spaces are in Piazza della Libertà, 90–100 metres away.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Workshops and guided tours for families are planned, together with the Museo delle Terre Nuove.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in a ZTL: vehicles are allowed in for everyone from 6:00 to 9:00, except on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. By car: A1 motorway, Valdarno exit.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit