The Art Gallery, or Pinacoteca di Brera as it is known here, is the largest collection of Italian paintings in Milan (Milan) as of 2023. It houses works of art from the fourteenth century to the twentieth. Tourists from all over the world come to Milan to admire the masterpieces of Italian artists. The Pinacoteca di Brera means as much to Italy as the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg does to Russia.
The collection of the museum is located in 38 halls. It is divided both by the time of creation of masterpieces and by schools. For example, there is a hall of Venetian, Tuscan painting. The most famous works of art kept in the Pinacoteca are Raphael's "Betrothal of the Virgin Mary", Andrea Mantegna's "Dead Christ", Caravaggio's "Dinner at Emmaus".
Creation History
The first Academy of Fine Arts opened in Milan in 1776. It was initiated by the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa. She also opened the first collection of paintings.
The gallery finally flourished in 1803 after Napoleon conquered Italy. Following revolutionary logic, the victor at Marengo separated church and state. Works of art that had been kept in churches were now to serve the people.
The founders of the gallery were Italian vice-president Francesco Melzi d'Eril and Italian artist and secretary of the academy Giuseppe Bossi. They began collecting under one roof paintings by Italian artists that had been confiscated from churches and monasteries. The gallery opened its gates to the public in 1809.
In 1882, the Pinacoteca di Brera separated from the Academy of Fine Arts and took on a life of its own.
With the advent of the 20th century, the Pinacoteca faced serious challenges. During the Second World War, Milan was heavily bombed. As a result, the gallery was destroyed. The restoration lasted for 5 years. The renovated building received its first visitors only in 1950.
Now the Pinacoteca is one of the main museums in Italy. The building also houses the National Library, a botanical garden, and an observatory. The gallery has a restoration workshop.
Expositions of the gallery
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Most of the works of art by Italian masters exhibited in the museum are on religious themes. The entire first hall is dedicated to the life of Jesus Christ. The other halls also contain many paintings depicting biblical subjects.
Several halls of the museum are dedicated to representatives of different schools of painting: Tuscan, Venetian, Bolognese, Lombard. A separate hall is occupied by a collection of works by Michelangelo Buonarotti. Several halls are dedicated to the famous Dutch: Titian, Van Dyck.
Some halls of the Pinakothek are dedicated to certain epochs. Thus, there is a hall of paintings of the High Renaissance, a hall of works by artists of the 16-19th centuries, a whole hall of modern art.
In the museum, in addition to paintings, there are frescoes, sculptures. All of this gives a complete picture of Italian art from the Renaissance to the present day.
The museum has a large number of frescoes, sculptures and paintings.
The Brera Gallery's most famous work of art is the Betrothal of the Virgin Mary. Raphael painted this picture at the age of 21. In it one can feel the influence of the young artist's teacher Pietro Perugino. A similar image a little earlier the master created for the Cathedral in Perugia.
Another famous painting from the Pinacoteca collection is Andrea Mantegna's "Dead Christ". This is a prominent Early Renaissance painter belonging to the Paduan school. The painting, painted in the middle of the XV century, became famous due to its bold compositional solution. In it, the body of Christ lies perpendicular to the picture plane, not parallel, as was customary at the time. On the sides are the Mother of God and the Apostle John. Above and to the left is a fragment of a face, most likely that of Mary Magdalene. According to legend, Mantegna created this work to decorate his own tombstone in his native church.
Architecture and history of the building
Photo: dimitrisvetsikas1969. Source: Pixabay
The Pinacoteca di Brera is housed in an elegant palazzo in the historic centre of Milan.
The history of the building dates back to the 14th century. The site of the future Pinacoteca was previously the site of a monastery of the Humiliate order. Its main building was the church of Santa Maria in Brera.
After the disbanding of the order, in the 17th century the Jesuit College was opened here. It later became home to the Milan Academy of Fine Arts and the Brera Art Gallery.
The building is built in the Baroque style. The inner courtyard of the palazzo is decorated with a two-tiered gallery. In front of the palace there is a statue of Napoleon Bonaparte by Antonio Canova. In it the emperor appears in the guise of Mars the peacemaker. On Napoleon's head is a laurel wreath of the victor. On his arm sits the goddess of victory Nika.
The Brera Gallery is the heart of the neighbourhood of the same name. It attracts art lovers from all over Milan like a magnet. The presence in one building of exhibition halls, the Academy of Arts, the National Library, create around the palace a unique atmosphere of sophistication and bohemianism.
Features of the work
Photo: dimitrisvetsikas1969. Source: Pixabay
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Every third Thursday of the month, live music is played within the walls of the museum. Thus, you can enjoy the works of painting to the sounds of a chamber orchestra.
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Only in the Pinacoteca di Brera you can observe the work of master restorers during your visit. In some rooms, the walls neighbouring the restoration workshops are made of glass. So anyone can see how another work of art is brought back to life.
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As a result of the neighbourhood of the gallery with the Academy of Arts, anyone can attend lectures that are held in the educational institution.
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In 2023, the Pinakothek is fully equipped for comfortable visits by people with disabilities.
How to get there
The Brera Art Gallery is located at Via Brera, 28, close to Milan Cathedral and La Scala Theatre. The nearest metro stations are Lanza and Montenapoleone. You can also get here by land transport.
The Pinacoteca is open from 8:30 to 19:15. The ticket office closes at 18:40. The new single ticket to the Pinakothek, which allows you to visit the museum an additional unlimited number of times within 3 months, costs 16 euros, a discounted ticket costs 11 euros.
The new single ticket to the Pinakothek costs 16 euros.
The Brera Gallery, along with the Uffizi Gallery and the palaces of Rome and the Vatican, houses the most famous works of art collected from all over Italy. Paintings, frescoes, sculptures are carefully restored by the best masters. To prolong their life in the halls is observed a special regime, maintained a certain temperature and humidity.
Take your time when visiting the Palazzo di Brera. Enjoying the masterpieces of the past does not tolerate fuss and haste. After all, they all belong to eternity.
