Museo d'arte Mendrisio

About the museum

The impetus for the museum came from the collector siblings Aldo and Aldina Grigioni, who donated many of their artworks to the town in the late 1970s. A commission selected 167 works from them, which still form the core of the collection today. The founding was prepared by the three “Biennali Mendrisiensi” from 1975 to 1980, held in the cloister of the Servites. After the rooms above the cloister were converted, the museum was inaugurated on 11 September 1982.

It is housed in the San Giovanni complex, the former Servite monastery on the edge of the old town. A second phase of expansion, completed in 2003, opened up the large ground-floor rooms as storage for the collection and the transparencies, and between 2004 and 2009 the exhibition space on the first floor was enlarged further. Over more than forty years, more than 120 exhibitions have been staged.

The collection grew through further donations, such as those from Dante Rocchetti (1986), Gino and Gianna Macconi (2005), Luigi Meroni (2015) and Giovanni and Lorenza Bolzani (2016). Today it comprises more than 5,000 works from the 17th century to the present, including about 400 works and the archive of the artist Pietro Chiesa. The museum also preserves more than 650 “Trasparenti”, backlit paintings on canvas that have been painted since the late 18th century for the Holy Week processions. Some of them can be seen in the Museo del Trasparente in Casa Croci; Casa Pessina in Ligornetto also belongs to the museum.

Highlights

• Collection of more than 5,000 works from the 17th century to the present
• About 650 Trasparenti, backlit Holy Week processional paintings
• Donation by the Grigioni siblings as the core of the collection
• Estate of Pietro Chiesa with about 400 works and the artist’s archive
• Exhibition rooms in the former Servite monastery with a cloister

Founded

1982

Operated by

Città di Mendrisio – Dicastero Cultura, eventi e sport

Director

Barbara Paltenghi Malacrida

Admission & discounts

Prices apply in CHF or EUR. Free admission also for members of AMS (Swiss Museums Association), ICOM, ASSSA and Visarte, and with the Swiss Museum Pass. Tours for secondary schools: CHF 60.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: not available
• Easy-to-read materials: not available
• Audio description: no information

According to the museum, the exhibition rooms, library, toilets and shop are wheelchair accessible; there is some cobblestone paving on the last few metres to the entrance, and staff will help if needed. An accessible parking space is about 50 m from the entrance. According to Pro Infirmis (as of 2024), no wheelchairs are available to borrow, but tours for people with cognitive impairments are offered.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

School programmes are offered alongside the exhibitions; afternoons with activities and snacks for children and young people are held regularly.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit