National Gallery of Modern Art

The National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome, located in Valle Giulia, is one of the most important museums of modern and contemporary art in Italy. Founded in 1883, the gallery houses a vast and diverse collection that spans from the 19th century to the present day. With approximately 20,000 works, the collection includes paintings, sculptures, drawings, and installations, representing the major artistic currents of the past two centuries. The birth of the National Gallery was a response to the need for an institution dedicated to contemporary art, which at the time included living or recently deceased artists. The first location was the Palazzo delle Esposizioni on via Nazionale, but over time and with the increase in works, it became necessary to find a larger space. Thus, on the occasion of the National Exhibition of 1911, celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Unification of Italy, the current building was constructed based on the design of architect Cesare Bazzani. Bazzani’s building, inaugurated in 1915, is a significant example of early 20th-century neoclassical architecture, with a monumental facade and spacious interior exhibition spaces. In 1933, Bazzani himself designed an expansion that doubled the available space, although the new rooms were initially occupied by the Exhibition of the Fascist Revolution, dedicated to glorifying the achievements of the regime. The direction of the gallery has seen the presence of prominent figures, including Palma Bucarelli, superintendent from 1941 to 1975. Bucarelli played a fundamental role in opening the Gallery to international avant-garde movements, promoting artists such as Picasso, Mondrian, and Pollock, and introducing innovative services such as a library, a cafeteria, and a bookstore. During World War II, Bucarelli secretly transferred the artworks to the secure Palazzo Farnese in Caprarola to protect them from the dangers of the conflict. In the 1970s, under the guidance of Giorgio de Marchis, the Gallery continued to promote significant exhibitions and expand its collection with important donations, including those of Giacomo Manzù and Mario Praz. The museum’s collections were further enriched by acquisitions and donations of contemporary artworks, which helped fill significant gaps and represent the latest artistic trends. The National Gallery has undergone a series of significant renovations, the latest of which was in 2016, with the inauguration of the exhibition “Time is Out of Joint.” This project reduced the number of works on display to create a non-chronological narrative that explores the connections between past and present. The new exhibition also introduced a “welcome area,” a bookstore, and a redesigned Column Room to enhance the visitor experience. Among the most famous works in the collection are “Hercules and Lichas” by Antonio Canova, a neoclassical sculpture depicting the moment when Hercules, driven mad by grief, kills Lichas. Another masterpiece is “The Sicilian Vespers” by Francesco Hayez, depicting a historical episode of the Sicilian rebellion against the Angevins. The collection also includes works by artists such as Giacomo Balla, Giorgio de Chirico, Umberto Boccioni, and Lucio Fontana, representing artistic movements from Futurism to Metaphysics, from Abstractionism to Arte Povera.