Novecento Museum

Written by: Constanza Coscia

During the last few days that I had left in Milan before going back home for the holidays, I decided it would be a good idea to do a little bit of the touristy stuff in the city. As a young student who had recently moved to the city, I barely had any time to go around and enjoy the new place I was living in: I was constantly bombarded (and still am, really) with projects on top of homeworks on top of keeping up with my social life. So, one quiet Saturday afternoon, I decided to visit Museo del Novecento, which is very near my apartment.

Museo del Novecento is a museum dedicated to showing over four thousand works that represent Italian art from the 20th century. It was established December 6th, 2010, with the “goal of spreading knowledge of 20th century art and offering a more comprehensive insight into the collections that the city of Milan has inherited over time,” as their website states. Besides the exhibitions constantly on display, the museum is also active in the conservation, investigation, and promotion of the beautiful Italian art from the 20th century. Maintaining this cultural and artistic heritage is of upmost importance to the museum, and their final aim is that of reaching and ever growing audience.

As I approached the museum on a windy, Saturday afternoon, I couldn’t help but be excited. I am a long time art geek, and have proudly visited many museums around the world- I even own a MOMA t-shirt that I wear whenever I get the chance. I asked for a ticket in some rough Italian at the front desk, before excitedly going up the grand spiral staircase, and beginning my journey.

Overall, it was a very peaceful and calming experience. Although I could’ve opted to rent a pair of headphones to guide me through the museum, I preferred to instead listen to my own music and read the description to each painting myself. At first glance I was greeted by many paintings by Picasso, whom I love. As the journey went on, I found myself fascinated and intrigued by the diverse gathering of paintings. The range of different styles seemed infinite. All the paintings I saw in the beginning were part of the museum’s Permanent Collection, which gathers more or less 400 works that are displayed in chronological order.

As I went up and up, I examined every painting carefully, reading each description and trying to come up with my own analysis. But, I have to say, these weren’t my favorite of the bunch…

…Because what I found truly intriguing were some of the walk-in exhibitions. As I approached a room, I noticed that there were signs saying that if you wanted to go into a certain place, you had to sign a paper confirming that you were not going to, I don’t know, have a seizure or something in the middle of the museum. I, full of curiosity, signed the silly little paper and continued on. These walk-in exhibitions were dizzying, bright, and out of this world. The first one seemed almost like a labyrinth of twisting mirrors, with bright, flashing lights in green and red, which confused me every time I tried to take a turn. I was grateful enough that I was alone, although when someone else did join in on the fun, I ran out in fear that I would bump into them and break something.

The second walk-in exhibition was filled with bright, neon strings, and what seemed like an un-even floor. It was, once again, very dizzying and very confusing. But still, very entertaining.

I always found these kind of exhibitions the most fun because of the interaction that one must go through to really enjoy them.

Overall, the museum was incredible. Going alone is something I’d definitely recommend- that way one goes at their own pace, and explore what they truly want to see. Art is all about analyzing and coming up with your own conclusions about the artwork in front of you, and bringing your own perspective into said analysis. Art is a very personal experience, and I find that having other people can sometimes damage something I find for myself almost like meditation.

For anyone who would like to visit this museum, you can find it at Palazzo dell’Arengario, at Via Marconi, in Milan. It is very near the Duomo. Tickets can be purchased both online and in person, with full price tickets costing five euro. If you are over 65 or a college student, you can get the ticket for three euro.

Current exhibitions that are on display at the museum right now are “Fuori Percroso,” open until March 4th, 2018 and, “Rizzardi, Libri d’artista,” open until the 25th of February. For more information on current exhibitions and upcoming ones, you can always go the museum’s official website, which is available both in English and in Italian.

This museum remains highly recommended to any art lovers out there, who find themselves with a little free time in Milan. After all, the museum is right in front of Duomo, so really how difficult would it be to pay it a little visit?