Galleria d'arte moderna di Milano

About the museum

The Galleria d'Arte Moderna is housed in Villa Belgiojoso, also known as Villa Reale, built between 1790 and 1796 to a design by Leopoldo Pollack as the residence of Count Lodovico Barbiano di Belgiojoso. In 1804 the building passed to the French government and became Napoleon's Milanese residence, under the name Villa Bonaparte. After Italian unification it was assigned to the Crown and remained for a long time almost abandoned, until in 1920 it passed to municipal ownership and was adapted to house the city's modern art collections.

The core of the collections was formed from 1861 with the donation of the sculptor Pompeo Marchesi to the Comune di Milano, and with many later bequests, which in 1903 flowed into the emerging Galleria d'Arte Moderna. In 1920 the donation of Vittore Grubicy De Dragon was added, with works by Segantini, Previati and other protagonists of nineteenth-century Lombard art. Later came the collection of Carlo Grassi, donated at the end of the 1950s, and that of Giuseppe Vismara, which arrived in 1975.

After the 1993 bombing that destroyed the nearby Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea, the villa underwent a long restoration, completed in 2006. Today the first-floor route presents paintings and sculptures from Neoclassicism to Divisionism, in rooms decorated between the 18th and 19th centuries, including the Parnaso fresco by Andrea Appiani. Behind the villa extends the English-style garden, the first of its kind in Milan.

Highlights

• Neoclassical Villa Reale by Leopoldo Pollack, Napoleon's residence in Milan
• Sala del Parnaso with the fresco by Andrea Appiani
• Nineteenth-century paintings and sculptures, from Canova and Hayez to the Scapigliati and the Divisionisti
• Grassi and Vismara collections with works by Manet, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Modigliani and Picasso (currently not on display)
• English-style garden, the first one created in Milan

Permanent exhibitions

• Collezione dell'Ottocento – Paintings and sculptures of the nineteenth century in the first-floor rooms of the villa, from Canova and Hayez to the Scapigliatura and Divisionism.
• Collezioni Grassi e Vismara – Collections donated to the Comune di Milano, with works by Italian and international masters of the twentieth century; the second floor is currently closed for works and cannot be visited.

Founded

1921

Operated by

Comune di Milano

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Every first Sunday of the month (Domenica al museo), without booking. Every second Tuesday of the month admission is free for visitors up to 25 years old.

Free admission also for teachers, ICOM members, EU tourist guides and interpreters, and holders of the Abbonamento Musei Lombardia Valle d'Aosta and the Milano Museo Card. Tickets can be bought at the ticket office or online.

Accessibility

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

The main entrance has three steps, with a ramp without handrail (gradient of 12%). The first floor is fully accessible; the lift, with Braille and raised button panel, requires staff assistance. Three courtesy wheelchairs are available (in exchange for an identity document) and there is an accessible toilet on the ground floor. In via Palestro there are four parking spaces reserved for holders of a disabled parking permit.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

At weekends the Weekend alla GAM programme offers playful visits with workshops for children aged 6 to 11 (€10 per person; admission is free for under-18s). The villa's garden is part of some family routes.

Getting there & parking

The museum is located in Milan's historic centre, where the Area C access restrictions for certain vehicles apply on weekdays. Nearby are the BikeMi stations Palestro 1 and 2, Cavour and Senato.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

The Lùbar bar-restaurant is next to the museum, in the arcade overlooking the inner courtyard. Bookshop in the entrance hall. Free cloakroom with lockable lockers.

Events & venue rental

As far as we know, the museum does not rent out spaces for external events.

The museum does not rent its spaces for private or corporate events, weddings or advertising. The Sala da Ballo (80 seats) and the Sala del Parnaso (40 seats) can host lectures and presentations consistent with the museum's activities, on proposal to the management (c.gam@comune.milano.it).

Plan your visit