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”.

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.

Charming place where to find books, wine, music, exhibitions and talks. My favourite bit is the lovely little backyard.

A fairly new restaurant, managed by young people. The place is beautifully furnished, very minimal and reflects perfectly the quality of the food, a contemporary version of italian cuisine, but absolutely not artefact in its quality. Amazing ingredients, amazing food, and a special bravo to the sommelier.

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.