Pirelli HangarBicocca is a non-profit foundation, established in 2004, which has converted a former industrial plant in Milan into an institution for producing and promoting contemporary art. This dynamic center for experimentation and discovery covers 15,000 square meters, making it one of the largest contiguous exhibition spaces in Europe. It presents major solo shows every year by Italian and international artists, with each project conceived to work in close relation to the architecture of the complex, and explored in depth through a calendar of parallel events. Admission to the space and the shows is completely free of charge, and facilitators are on hand to help the public connect with the art. Since 2013, Vicente Todolí has been the foundation’s Artistic Director. The complex, which once housed a locomotive factory, includes an area for public services and educational activities, and three exhibition spaces whose original twentieth-century architectural features have been left clearly visible: Shed, Navate, and Cubo. As well as its exhibitions program and cultural events, Pirelli HangarBicocca also permanently houses one of Anselm Kiefer’s most important site-specific works, The Seven Heavenly Palaces 2004-2015, commissioned for the opening of Pirelli HangarBicocca. The history of Pirelli HangarBicocca is closely linked to that of Breda, a company incorporated in 1886 by Ingegner Ernesto Breda, who moved it to the Bicocca district from 1903. Pirelli, Falck and Marelli followed suit with their own companies, thus turning the area into one of the most important industrial centres in Italy. In the new 200,000m² factory, Breda mainly manufactured railway carriages, electric and steam locomotives, boilers, farm machinery and equipment and, during the First World War, aeroplanes, projectiles and other products for the war effort. One of these factory buildings was Pirelli HangarBicocca, which at the time was divided into blocks of different types, origin and size. The “Shed“, for example, a typical low bare-brick factory building with double-pitched roof and large skylights, is already quite recognisable in photos dating from the first half of the 1920s. It was here that components for locomotives and farm machinery were manufactured. In 1955 Breda Elettromeccanica e Locomotive enlarged its premises with the addition of a cubic barrel-vaulted building which is now the Cubo exhibition space of Pirelli HangarBicocca. The huge building that joins the Shed and the Cubo, which is today called “Le Navate”, was constructed between 1963 and 1965 for the transformers department. It was here that high-powered machines were assembled and tested. The building, which has retained its original dimensions – 9500 m² with a height of about 30 metres – consists of a “nave” and two aisles. Since 2004, one of these has been home to The Seven Heavenly Palaces by the German artist Anselm Kiefer. Storage facilities and sheds were demolished in about 2000 to create the garden where Fausto Melotti’s La Sequenza has been since 2010. In the early 1980s, Breda was taken over by the Ansaldo Group and, almost at the same time, the historic industrial areas gradually began to be decommissioned. The Bicocca district then underwent an almost total urban redevelopment. The Bicocca Project, which was launched in 1986, led to the creation of university buildings, administration centres and private housing around the Teatro degli Arcimboldi, as well as to the redevelopment of the old Pirelli factory buildings. After a decade of neglect, Pirelli HangarBicocca (formerly known as Ansaldo 17) was purchased by Prelios, the former Pirelli RE, which in 2004 decided to turn it into an exhibition space for contemporary art.

Gió Marconi gallery started in 1990 under the initiative of Gió Marconi who created the Studio Marconi 17, an experimental space for young artists and art critics that he ran from 1986 to 1990. At the beginning, the new gallery was directed by Gió and his father Giorgio, who had founded the Studio Marconi (1965-1992); now, Gió Marconi gallery mainly focuses on contemporary positions while it also continues to include historical artists of the Studio Marconi into its programme. Gió Marconi is interested in the works of the European and international avant-garde, showing artists such as Franz Ackermann, Trisha Baga, John Bock, Kerstin Brätsch, Matthew Brannon, André Butzer, Alex Da Corte, Nathalie Djurberg & Hans Berg, Simon Fujiwara, Wade Guyton, Allison Katz, Annette Kelm, Sharon Lockhart, Michel Majerus, Oliver Osborne, Jorge Pardo, Tobias Rehberger, Markus Schinwald, Dasha Shishkin, Catherine Sullivan, Grazia Toderi, Fredrik Vaerslev, Atelier Van Lieshout, Francesco Vezzoli, Amelie von Wulffen. From 1965 until now, exhibitions by the following artists have been realized by the Studio Marconi and Gió Marconi gallery: Valerio Adami, Enrico Baj, Georg Baselitz, Joseph Beuys, Peter Blake, Alighiero Boetti, Alberto Burri, Alexander Calder, Anthony Caro, Enrico Castellani, Patrick Caulfield, Mario Ceroli, Marc Chagall, Christo, James Coleman, Gianni Colombo, Willem de Kooning, Sonia Delaunay, Lucio Del Pezzo, Antonio Dias, Bruno Di Bello, Piero Dorazio, Lucio Fontana, Sam Francis, Richard Hamilton, David Hockney, Hsiao Chin, Anselm Kiefer, Martin Kippenberger, Franz Kline, Lee U Fan, Man Ray, Giuseppe Maraniello, Joan Mirò, Maurizio Mochetti, Aldo Mondino, Francois Morellet, Keizo Moroshita, Ugo Mulas, Louise Nevelson, Helmut Newton, Gastone Novelli, Giulio Paolini, Gianfranco Pardi, H.P.Paris, A.R.Penck, Francis Picabia, Pablo Picasso, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Mimmo Rotella, Mario Schifano, Daniel Spoerri, Aldo Spoldi, Emilio Tadini, Antoni Tapies, Herve Telemaque, Joe Tilson, Giuseppe Uncini, Emilio Vedova, Tom Wesselman, William T. Wiley, Christopher Wool.

Starting from the end of the Nineties, the Gallery knew how to cut out its own space and become the reference point to lovers of historical design as well as to people following the evolution of contemporary design, above all within that more learned, poetic and visionary area shifting between production and contemporary art. Nina Yashar, the gallery founder, works with her sister Nilu and a team of five people. Nilufar took part in several editions of Pavillon des Arts et du Design in Paris and is always present at Design Miami/Basel. Nilufar has its own small manifesto, composed of three words: Discovering, Crossing, Creating. Discovering Novecento is the century of design, a source of extraordinary stories and objects which will be dealt with again for a long time, waiting just for the right time to come out of the oblivion. According to Nilufar's vision, modern antique dealing is an old definition. It is necessary to shift towards a less vague word, searching for names, projects, schools, manufactures, countries making history and deserving to be proposed again. Crossing The history of taste is a never-ending exercise of decomposition and re-composition, just like a kaleidoscope... This continuous joining together of pieces and traditions houses an open eye, heedless of labels, able to cross fences created by time, geography and cultural matrixes, aware that assonances and contrasts can be two sides of the same coin. This is the idea of Crossings, the name of two successful exhibitions Nilufar held in 1999 and 2000, a true invitation to build new visions of the world, being far more personal and freer. Creating Milan is an interesting lab and a privileged point to observe the euphoric and restless scene of design. Nilufar gives life to projects, editions, site-specific shows and publications, working both with great masters and emerging authors. Nilufar is operating in the scouting of new talents. Creating means bringing about occasions, sparkles. It means also obtaining new spaces and filling them with value for the future. Here in Italy we know how to do it: Renaissance was born here!

The Spirit is a cocktail bar in the hearth of Porta Romana, in Milano. An hidden gem, they say. At first sight you might not see the door. You need to be curious and adventurous to get in. But it’s worth it! Once inside, custom made velvet sofas, extravagant mirrors and games of sparkling lights will lure you down in a world of illusion and magic, where the perception of time and the world outside fades away. Surrounded by rare bottles from all over the world, you can savor the unusual mixed ingredients of our crafted cocktails, have a sip of long aged spirits from exotic lands or just have the barman tailor your perfect serve. Experience The Spirit!

An architectural gem: immersed in an ample private garden with a swimming pool and a tennis court and set in the center of Milan, the Necchi Campiglio Villa was completed by the architect Piero Portaluppi in 1935. Commissioning the structure was the Necchi Campiglio family, part of the rich and elegant industrial middle class of Milan in the 1930s. The disposition of the interior spaces corresponds to the traditional layout of noble homes: the daytime areas on the ground floor, the bedrooms on the first floor, the service rooms in the areas under the roof, and the den as well as the changing rooms and the bathrooms for the pool in the basement. The Necchi Campiglio family wanted above all to distance themselves from the traditions of their day, and planned ample areas dedicated to the reception of guests and to the social whirl: the dining room, the smoking room, the library and the grand salon. Right after WWII, areas of the villa underwent changes effected by the architect Tomaso Buzzi, who sweetened the linearity of Portaluppi’s style, and inserted aspects inspired of the 18th century, especially those in the style of Louis the 15th of France.

The Milan venue of Fondazione Prada, conceived by architecture firm OMA—led by Rem Koolhaas—expands the repertoire of spatial typologies in which art can be exhibited and shared with the public. Characterized by an articulated architectural configuration which combines seven existing buildings with three new structures (Podium, Cinema and Torre), the venue is the result of the transformation of a distillery dating back to the 1910’s. In the project conceived by OMA, two conditions coexist: preservation and the creation of a new architecture which, although separate, confront each other in a state of permanent interaction. Located in Largo Isarco, in the south of Milan, the compound develops on an overall surface of 19.000 m2/205,000 ft2. Torre marks the completion of the Milan venue. The 60-meters high building is realized in exposed white concrete. Each of the nine floors of Torre offers an original perception of the internal environments thanks to a specific combination of three spatial parameters: plan dimension, clear height and orientation. Half of the levels is in fact developed on a rectangular floor plan, while the other half displays a trapezoid one. The clear height of the ceilings increases from bottom to top, varying from 2,7 meters on the first floor to 8 meters on the top level. The external façades are characterized by an alternation of concrete and glass surfaces, which allows exposure from a northern, eastern or western side on the different floors, whereas the top gallery space is exposed to zenithal light. The southern side of Torre presents a diagonal structure inside which a panoramic elevator is integrated. As stated by Rem Koolhaas: “The Fondazione is not a preservation project and not a new architecture. Two conditions that are usually kept separate here confront each other in a state of permanent interaction–offering an ensemble of fragments that will not congeal into a single image, or allow any part to dominate the others. New, old, horizontal, vertical, wide, narrow, white, black, open, enclosed – all these contrasts establish the range of oppositions that define the new Fondazione. By introducing so many spatial variables, the complexity of the architecture will promote an unstable, open programming, where art and architecture will benefit from each other’s challenges”.

"I believe we are at a time in society where open and honest communication is not only necessary, but revolutionary. When governments and political systems are no longer a reference point for progress, we look to other places, such as creative institutions, to facilitate that dialogue. Our aim is to change the definition of what it is to be a cultural centre; the Triennale will be a place of reflection and debate, connected with the contemporary culture in a dynamic way that offers new point of view on topics that lie at the very core of our global society." Stefano Boeri, President, 2018

Gallery Rossana Orlandi was opened in 2002 in a former tie Factory in the Magenta neighbor, Galleria Rossana Orlandi has been forecasting along the years new and upcoming designers and establishing the premise as one of the most revered platform for avant-garde Design and Lifestyle. Started her activity focusing on the rising dutch design wave with designers such Piet Hein Eek, Maarten Baas and Nacho Carbonell the research has moved widely around the world creating a catalog which reflects the most innovative scenes from Europe to Asia to America. The space is articulated in a not traditional way mixing together, showroom, a retail store, offices and a courtyard for events and meeting with no boundaries between the different activities.

The Brera Gallery was officially established in 1809, even though a first heterogeneous collection with educational purpose existed already from 1776 – and then increased in the following years – alongside the Accademia di Belle Arti, requested by Mary Therese of Austria to offer the students the opportunity to study lofty masterpieces of art close up. Brera become a museum to host the most important works of art from all of the areas conquered by the French armies. So unlike other important museums in Italy such as the Uffizi, Brera did not start out life as the private collection of a prince or nobleman but as the product of a deliberate policy decision. Paintings confiscated from churches and convents throughout Lombardy with the religious orders’ dissolution began to pour into the museum in the early years of the 19th century, soon to be joined by artworks of similar provenance from other areas of the Kingdom of Italy. This explains why the collection comprises chiefly religious works, many of them large altarpieces, and accounts for Brera’s special aura on which later acquisitions have had only a minor impact.

1990, SEPTEMBER: CARLA SOZZANI, FORMER FASHION EDITOR AND PUBLISHER, OPENS GALLERIA CARLA SOZZANI FOR PHOTOGRAPHY, ART AND DESIGN IN A CONVERTED GARAGE N° 10 OF CORSO COMO IN MILANO. SINCE THE OPENING,OVER 250 EXHIBITIONS HAVE OFFERED AN INTENSE VARIETY OF CULTURES AND GENRES IN THE WORLDS OF CONTEMPORARY CULTURE. THE GALLERY HAS ITS OWN PUBLISHING COMPANY ALSO DEDICATED TO ART, PHOTOGRAPHY, FASHION AND DESIGN. THE SAME YEAR THE GALLERIA CARLA SOZZANI IS GRADUALLY JOINED BY A GARDEN CAFÈ AND A BOOKSHOP. NEW AND CLASSIC PUBLICATIONS ON ART, ARCHITECTURE, LITERATURE, DESIGN, GRAPHICS AND FASHION, WITH A STRONG EMPHASIS ON PHOTOGRAPHY AND A SELECTION OF MUSIC FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD CAN BE FOUND HERE. BROWSING IS ENCOURAGED...

Massimo De Carlo gallery was founded in Milano in 1987. Since the beginning Massimo De Carlo gallery program included young and prominent artists such as, among others, Alighiero Boetti, Rudolf Stingel, Maurizio Cattelan, and Yan Pei-Ming. The global affirmation of these and the other artists of the gallery has favoured its on-going success. For 30 years Massimo De Carlo has been playing a fundamental role in bringing the most interesting voices of international art to the Italian scene, and Italian artists into the global arena. This contributed to the promotion and establishment of a vital dialogue between the artists and national and international institutions, encouraging relationships between galleries, critics, curators, and collectors. Throughout the years, the gallery’s artists have been shown in international museums and biennials, and thus obtained an outstanding place into important public and private art collections. Since 2019 Galleria Massimo De Carlo's new headquarters are located at Casa Corbellini-Wassermann, situated in Viale Lombardia 17, which was built in the early 1930s (1934-1936) by the renowned Italian architect Piero Portaluppi.