Gallery sights in Rome
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Museo e Galleria Borghese
Cardinal Scipione Borghese (1579–1633) was the most knowledgeable and ruthless art collector of his day, and his collection, in the Museo e Galleria Borghese is as dazzling as his park. If you only have time (or inclination) for one art gallery in Rome, make it this one, which is not only exquisite, but also provides the perfect introduction to Renaissance and baroque art without being overwhelming. It’s housed in the Casino Borghese, whose neoclassical look is the result of a 17th-century revamp. To limit numbers, visitors are admitted at two-hourly intervals, so you’ll need to call to prebook, and enter at an allotted entry time, but trust us, it’s worth it.
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Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI Secolo (MAXXI)
Housed in a former army barracks, and built to an avant-garde design by Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, MAXXI (National Museum of 21st-century Art) has a permanent collection dedicated to contemporary art and architecture as well as space for more experimental events.
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Galleria Colonna
The only part of Palazzo Colonna open to the public, this opulent 17th-century gallery houses the Colonna family’s private art collection. It’s not the capital’s largest collection but with works by Salvatore Rosa, Guido Reni, Guercino and Annibale Carracci, it’s well worth the ticket price. The gallery’s six rooms are crowned by glorious ceiling frescoes, all dedicated to Marcantonio Colonna, the family’s greatest ancestor, who defeated the Turks at the naval Battle of Lepanto in 1571. Works by Giovanni Coli and Filippo Gherardi in the Great Hall, Sebastiano Ricci in the Landscapes Room and Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari in the Throne Room commemorate his efforts. Of the pai…
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Museo d’Arte Contemporanea di Roma (MACRO)
Along with MAXXI, this is Rome’s flagship contemporary art museum. Exhibits, which include works by all of Italy’s important post-WWII artists, are displayed in what was once a brewery, itself an important example of industrial design. The new-look museum retains much of the building’s original structure but sports a sexy steel-and-glass finish thanks to a recent revamp by trendy French architect Odile Decq. Collection highlights include abstract paintings by Achille Perilli, 1960s Pop Art by Tano Festa and works by artists from the Nuova Scuola Romana. Temporary exhibitions showcase emerging international talent.
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Museo Nazionale d’Arte Orientale
Rome’s little-known but impressive National Museum of Oriental Art offers a welcome break from all the ruins, Michelangelos and Caravaggios that litter the rest of the city. Its comprehensive collection of Near and Far Eastern artefacts runs the gamut from 15th-century Kubachi ceramics to painted Tibetan fans and intricate Nepalese textiles. Among the oldest pieces are finds from Shahr-i Sokhta, a city in eastern Iran dating to the 4th millennium BC, and a series of ceramic vases and terracotta figurines from an Iron Age necropolis in northwestern Pakistan.
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Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna
The oft-overlooked Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea is definitely worth a visit. Set in a vast belle époque palace are works by some of the most important exponents of modern Italian art. There are canvases by the macchiaioli (the Italian Impressionists) and futurists Boccioni and Balla, as well as several impressive sculptures by Canova and major works by Modigliani and De Chirico. International artists are also represented, with works by Degas, Cezanne, Kandinsky, Klimt, Mondrian, Pollock and Henry Moore.
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Pastificio Cerere
This hub of Rome’s contemporary art scene started life as a pasta factory in 1905. Abandoned in 1960, it came to prominence as home of the Nuova Scuola Romana (New Roman School), a group of six artists who set the nation’s art scene alight in the early 1980s. More than 30 years on and a new generation of artists has moved in, including Maurizio Savini, famous for his pink chewing gum sculptures. To visit the complex, email the Fondazione del Pastificio Cerere via the website, specifying which studios you’d like to visit.
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Edicola Notte
Blink and you might miss it! At 1m wide and 7m long, Edicola Notte is Rome's tiniest art gallery. Established by Chinese-Malay artist and expat HH Lim, it's a peek-from-the-street affair, lit up each night for voyeuristic passers-by. And before you start making size jokes, remember, it's what you do with it that counts - past exhibitors include art world heavies such as Jannis Kounellis, Yan Pei Ming and Yang Jiechang.
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Gagosian Gallery
The Rome branch of Larry Gagosian’s contemporary art empire has hosted the big names of modern art: Cy Twombly, Damien Hirst and Lawrence Weiner, to name a few. The gallery, which was designed by Roman architect Firouz Galdo and Englishman Caruso St John, offers 750 sq m of exhibition space in a stylishly converted 1920s bank, complete with a theatrical neoclassical colonnaded façade.
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Galleria Lorcan O'Neill
Kick-started by a London art dealer and set in a converted stable, this is one of Rome's most respected private galleries. It was also one of the first to bring edgy international names to the city - think Tracey Emin, Max Rental, Matvey Levenstein, as well as local talent such as Luigi Ontani and Pietro Ruffo.
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Fondazione Volume!
Head to this former glass factory for experimental, site-specific installations from A-list local and global artists. Past exhibitors include Jannis Kounellis, Sol Lewitt, Bernhard Rudiger and Marina Paris - each in turn have transformed the tiny space into completely different realities.
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Macro Future
Housed in Rome’s ex-slaughterhouse, MACRO’s second gallery (the main one is in northern Rome) serves up contemporary art in two cavernous industrial halls. Recent shows have featured Sean Scully, the Italian futurists and the Russian AES+F collective.
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Galleria Pino Casagrande
Take the goods lift to the 5th floor of the legendary Pastificio Cerere for intelligent, progressive art at this small, top-notch gallery. Past exhibitors include German photographer Jan Bauer and local sound artist Piero Mottola.
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Scuderie Papali al Quirinale
The Palazzo del Quirinale’s former stables, the Scuderie Papali al Quirinale, is now a magnificent exhibition space.
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