Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche in Faenza

About the museum

The Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche in Faenza was founded in September 1908, at the close of the major International Exhibition dedicated to Evangelista Torricelli. The works donated by the exhibitors, which represented the production of many Italian and European manufactories, formed the original nucleus of the collections. Their growth was driven above all by Gaetano Ballardini, director of the museum until 1953.

In May 1944 a bombing raid almost completely destroyed the institute, causing heavy losses to the collections and archive material. With the motto “Post fata resurgo”, Ballardini, his colleagues and the community of Faenza began the reconstruction and reorganised the collections, which remained faithful to their original aims: to acquire, conserve and promote ceramic production.

Today the museum is run by the Fondazione MIC and holds over 60,000 works, from antiquity to the present day. Alongside the exhibition rooms it houses a restoration workshop active since the 1980s, a library with more than 70,000 volumes and pamphlets, photographic archives and an educational workshop. Every two years since 1938 it has organised the Premio Faenza, an international competition for contemporary ceramics.

Highlights

• Faenza maiolica and Italian Renaissance ceramics
• Works by Picasso, Matisse, Chagall, Léger, Dalí, Burri and Fontana
• Ceramics from the Islamic world, East Asia, the Near East, and from classical and pre-Columbian cultures
• Sections on Art Nouveau, Art Déco, design and ceramics of the second half of the twentieth century
• Route for visually impaired visitors with tactile copies and Braille texts
• Educational workshop “Giocare con la Ceramica”, devised with Bruno Munari

Permanent exhibitions

• Ceramiche faentine dal Medioevo al Barocco – The sections devoted to Faenza production, from Italian Renaissance workshops to eighteenth-century ceramics.
• La ceramica del Novecento – Art Nouveau, Art Déco, international sculpture and ceramics of the second half of the twentieth century, with works by masters such as Picasso, Matisse, Chagall, Burri and Fontana.
• Ceramica dal mondo – Classical ceramics, ceramics from the Near East and ancient Egypt, from the Islamic world, East Asia and pre-Columbian America.

Founded

1908

Operated by

Fondazione MIC – Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche in Faenza

Visitors per year

approx. 41,669

Admission & discounts

During temporary exhibitions (except those in the Project Room) all tickets cost €2 more; the standard ticket is therefore €14. Free admission also for ceramicists from Faenza, lecturers of the ISIA Faenza and of the Liceo artistico Torricelli-Ballardini, journalists with a press card, tour operators, ICOM members and Friends of Ceramics and of the MIC. Reduction with a ticket to the MAR and the Museo Classis in Ravenna; the FaenzaMuseiCard gives a €2 discount.

Accessibility

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

Route for visually impaired visitors with Braille introductions at the start of each section and tactile copies of some masterpieces (project with the Istituto dei ciechi Francesco Cavazza). Introductory videos for the rooms are available for deaf visitors; the guide in AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) is available on request at the ticket office. Only small dogs are admitted, on a lead or in a carrier.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations

The “Domeniche in famiglia” (family Sundays) offer creative ceramics workshops (€8 per person, €24 for 2 adults and 2 children, booking required). The app offers guided tours for adults and children, and the workshop “Giocare con la Ceramica”, inspired by Bruno Munari, is aimed at schools.

Getting there & parking

Free-floating bike sharing is available via the Ridemovi app.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Reception and bookshop in the museum; online shop for publications.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 300 guests.

Spaces for conferences, concerts, dinners, parties and team building: auditorium (99 people), basement hall (250), Classical hall (100–150), cloister (300) and workshop (25–30). For civil ceremonies organised by the Comune di Faenza, the Sala del Rinascimento is available (maximum 60 people). Information: +39 0546 69 73 11, info@micfaenza.org.

Plan your visit