Gallarate: discovering the MA*GA Museum of Contemporary Art

Contemporary art enthusiasts have added a new address to their list of unmissable museums: Gallarate, via De Magri 1. This is in fact the address of one of the art museums that is gaining the most appreciation on the Italian scene for its permanent collection and the many temporary exhibitions with an international flavour.

It is the MA*GA - Museo Arte Gallarate (Gallarate Art Museum): one more boast for this beautiful town in the province of Varese, which every day confirms its high quality of life, thanks to its services, the ease of transport, and its proximity to Milan. And its cultural fervour, as this museum demonstrates.

The museum was founded in 1966 under the name Civica Galleria d'Arte Moderna as a place for the preservation and enjoyment of the works of the Gallarate Prize, founded in 1949 and still active today. In 2009, the turning point. The city of Gallarate set up the 'Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea Silvio Zanella' Foundation and the following year inaugurated the new museum venue named MA*GA - Museo d'Arte Gallarate.

With its 5000 square metres, the new venue offers visitors a beautiful journey through contemporary art and its various expressions and techniques. The building is divided into two bodies, the first is the result of the renovation of an industrial structure dating back to 1930, the second, curvilinear, was built for the occasion in exposed brick following the design by Maria Luisa Provasoli, Pier Michele Miano and Carlo Moretti. From 2021, together with the City of Gallarate, HIC - Hub of the Cultural Institutes of the City of Gallarate will open, which will also include a large new library, study, and research space.

A constantly evolving look at contemporary art. This is the peculiarity of the permanent collection of the Gallarate Art Museum, which houses more than 5000 works, exhibited in strictly chronological order. These are the artistic artefacts created by the most important Italian artists in the period from the middle of the last century to the present day. From Mario Sironi (Alpino and Nave) to Giuseppe Guerreschi (Città invasa), passing through Emilio Vedova (L'urto), Bruno Munari (Progetto per negativo-positivo), Mario Radice (Composizione pentagonale), Gillo Dorfles (Immagini ambigue), Carlo Carrà (Firenze) and Lucio Fontana (Concetto Spaziale) there are countless works that are truly breathtaking in their beauty and importance. The Tapestry Room of Ottavio Missoni is also worth a visit.

The organisation of temporary exhibitions is also important. Like the one that will animate the first six months of 2023, dedicated to one of the greatest figures of contemporary art: Andy Warhol. 200 works will be on display, ranging from the very first refined advertising drawings made in the 1950s, to the most famous works of the 1960s (such as the portraits of Marilyn Monroe and Campbell's Soup), from the vinyl covers produced for iconic bands like the Velvet Underground and the Rolling Stones to film and video experimentation, including the well-known 'Silent movies'.