Unveiling Rome’s Contemporary Art Treasures: A Must-Visit Guide

Rome’s reputation as a city brimming with historical and artistic wonders is undisputed. Often, we perceive Rome as a trove largely filled with monuments and structures from its Roman, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. However, Rome has more to offer, especially for those passionate about modern and contemporary art.

GNAM: the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art

Let’s start with GNAM, the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art. It boasts the most extensive collection of modern Italian art, with over 4,400 works of painting and sculpture, and around 13,000 drawings and prints, primarily from Italian artists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Established in 1883, shortly after the formation of the unified Italian state (with Rome becoming the capital in 1871), it addressed the need for a museum dedicated to contemporary artists. Initially located at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni on Via Nazionale, the gallery soon outgrew this space. Today, it showcases works ranging from Canova and Hayez to impressionist masterpieces by Monet, Van Gogh, Cézanne, and De Nittis, alongside sculptures by Rodin and Klimt’s “The Three Ages of Woman.”

Modern Art Gallery

Next is the city’s Modern Art Gallery, founded in 1925 within the ancient Discalced Carmelites’ monastery on Via Francesco Crispi. Its purpose was to document Rome’s then-contemporary art scene. During the 1930s, the collection expanded to include works from Roman exhibitions of that era, reflecting a period of extraordinary creativity. The collection now includes pieces by Giorgio de Chirico, Mario Mafai, Scipione, Gino Severini, Giorgio Morandi, Giuseppe Capogrossi, Afro, Alberto Savinio, Carlo Carrà, Mario Sironi, and sculptors like Arturo Martini and Marino Marini. Its current setup makes it an exemplary modern museum, offering a journey through post-Risorgimento and twentieth-century Italian art trends.

MACRO: the Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome

Not to be overlooked is MACRO, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome. It emerged from the reorganization of Capitoline structures promoting contemporary art and has two venues: the former Peroni industrial plant, designed by Gustavo Giovannoni, which houses the main office on Via Nizza, and a secondary office in the former Testaccio slaughterhouse, a hub for cultural and artistic events. The main venue is the heart of an experimental project, hosting a wide array of figures involved in contemporary artistic and cultural production.

MAXXI: the National Museum of 21st Century Arts

Lastly, the MAXXI, the National Museum of 21st Century Arts, deserves a visit. Its design, a winning entry from an international competition, was conceived by Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. The museum goes beyond the traditional concept of a museum structure with its complex volumes, curvilinear walls, and a mix of heights. The MAXXI art collections comprise over 300 works reflecting international artistic production, focusing on Italian experiences and foreign artists connected to the Italian context.

The MAXXI Architettura collections include products and documents representing the material and conceptual complexity of architecture. Rome offers a wide array of choices for those interested in its modern and contemporary aspects. Enjoy exploring Modern and Contemporary Rome!