• Art & Culture

Open museums in Lombardy: an ode to female talent 

 

As Lombardy enters the yellow zone, many museums, foundations and exhibition spaces are once again opening up to the public.

 

Finally, we can once again admire paintings, sculptures, and other works of art, enjoying the unique feeling of beholding a masterpiece in person.

In the exhibitions that have just reopened in Lombardy, we can trace a shared element: a pink thread, which makes women the protagonists of expositions, monographic exhibitions, and events. Here are the current and upcoming exhibitions taking place in Lombardy that simply can’t be missed!

Remember that museums and all artistic spaces are open to the public from Monday to Friday and closed at the weekend. Booking online (which is required in some cases) is the best way to avoid queues and disappointment. 

 

Female talents in Milan’s reopened museums
Artemisia Gentileschi, Sofonisba Anguissola, Lavinia Fontana, Elisabetta Sirani, Fede Galizia, Giovanna Garzoni: these are just some of the artistic protagonists of the exhibition entitled ‘Le Signore dell’Arte. Storie di donne tra ‘500 e ‘600’ (‘The Ladies of Art: Women’s Stories between 1500 and 1600’), which is being held in Palazzo Reale, Milan, from 2 March until June as part of the City of Milan's ‘Female Talents’ programme. An all-female story of fertile and liberal creativity, of unprecedented compositional skills, and talent waiting to be uncovered and admired. 

Let’s remain in Milan but travel to a different era with a visit to the Fabbrica del Vapore and its exhibition ‘Frida Khalo. Il caos dentro’ (‘Frida Kahlo. The Chaos Within’), which is dedicated to the great and inimitable interpreter of Mexican art in the 1900s, and is open until April. An interactive multimedia experience reconstructs the painter’s home, giving visitors a 360 degree immersion into the magical world of the woman and the artist.

Mexico is also evoked in the upcoming exhibition ‘Donne, Messico e libertà’ (‘Women, Mexico and Freedom’), which will be hosted by the Mudec in Milan and is dedicated to Tina Modotti, the Italian photographer, actress, and activist who died in 1942 in Mexico City at the age of just 46. Prints, letters, and videos bear witness to her creativity, free spirit, and social and political engagement. 

Open until June, ‘Carla Accardi. Contesti’ (‘Carla Accardi. Contexts’) is the first monographic exhibition dedicated to the painter from Trapani who disappeared 6 years ago. Works of art, paintings, installations, and models document the dynamic creations of the first Italian abstract artist of international renown.

Winged Victory flies over Brescia once again
Brescia’s Civic Museums will be resuming their activities by offering visitors free admission across all of its locations for the entire month of February, subject to booking. The main protagonist of the reopening is the ‘Vittoria Alata’ (‘Winged Victory’): following its restoration, this extraordinary Roman statue will be exhibited in the setting designed at the Capitolium by Navarro Baldeweg, to whom the exhibition ‘Juan Navarro Baldeweg. Architettura, pittura, scultura’ (‘Juan Navarro Baldeweg. Architecture, Painting, Sculpture’) is dedicated.
 
 

Arriving in Bergamo: Regina, Queen of Sculpture 
The opening of Gamec’s 2021 Museum Year in Bergamo is also dedicated to women. From April, the retrospective ‘Regina. Della scultura’ (‘Regina, Queen of Sculpture’) will host a nuclear collection of works by the 20th-century sculptor from Lombardy, Regina Cassolo Bracchi, which were acquired by the Pompidou Centre in Paris. At the same time, an immersive installation by contemporary Latvian sculptor Daiga Grantina will be hosted by the museum’s Spazio Zero. 

 

Mantua: Palazzo Te celebrates Venus 
Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, inaugurates the 2021 season of the Civic Museums of Palazzo Te and San Sebastiano, in Mantua. With this, the Fondazione Palazzo Te will complete its cycle dedicated to the world of women, which began in 2018. Departing from Aby Warburg’s work on mythology, the programme ‘Venere Divina. Armonia sulla terra’ (‘Divine Venus: Harmony on Earth’) includes the exhibition of a unique masterpiece, a major autumn exhibition, as well as conferences and events. And with the Supercard Cultura 2021, Mantuans can enjoy free entry to the museums on the circuit for just €1 a month.  

 

Other unmissable exhibitions: from Raphael and Tiepolo to Enzo Mari 
Finally, three exhibitions that mustn’t be missed in person. The first is ‘Raffaello. L’invenzione del divino pittore’ (‘Raphael. The Invention of the Divine Painter’), which is being held at the Museum of Santa Giulia in Brescia until 19 February and features prints in the style of Raphael from the early 1500s to the mid-1800s. The exhibition ‘Tiepolo. Venezia, Milano, l’Europa’ (‘Tiepolo. Venice, Milan, Europe’), hosted by the Gallerie d’Italia in Milan’s Piazza Scala, is being extended until 2 May. Lastly, visitors to the Triennale di Milano can see ‘Enzo Mari curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist with Francesca Giacomelli’, a show dedicated to the master of design, every Thursday and Friday until 21:30, with the option of a guided tour.

 

 

 

On the same topic

Castles Sondrio

In the mountains between castles and strongholds that challenge the peaks of the Valtellina
  • Art & Culture
Castles Sondrio

Museums in Lombardy

Some suggestions on museums to visit in Milan and outside the Lombard capital
  • Art & Culture
Museums in Lombardy, suggestions on cultural tourism

Treasure Hunt in the Monza Area of Brianza

Splendid villas, ancient basilicas, noble palazzos. The Monza area of Brianza is full of treasures to discover
  • Art & Culture
Oratorio di San Vittore

Marian Itinerary Brianza

The path of the rose that connects 25 Marian shrines
  • Art & Culture
Marian itinerary in Brianza, the path of the Rose

The Winter Songs

The legend of the coldest days in the year
  • Art & Culture
The Winter Songs

Castles Pavia

Towers, walls, ditches .. a journey between fortresses and sumptuous historic houses
  • Art & Culture
Castles Pavia

6 Discovering Lombardy - virtual tour

Museums and castles to visit from your home
  • Art & Culture
Palazzo Te (Mantova)

Cremona and its music

Cremona's music is closer than what you think
  • Art & Culture
Cremona and its music

Monuments Lecco

From Manzoni to Stoppani: Lecco through the monuments
  • Art & Culture
Monuments Lecco, exploring Lombardy

The Legend of the Giubiana

The Giubiana festival is a very popular tradition in Lombardy
  • Art & Culture
Traditions in Como: The legend of the Giubiana

Mantua Culture Capital 2016

Mantua city of art, capital of culture
  • Art & Culture
Mantua Culture Capital 2016, discover its wonders

Castles Cremona

Crossroads of trade and area of strong agricultural production, the Cremonese territory has always been guarded by castles
  • Art & Culture
@albertobr rete.comuni-italiani.it

Museums Monza

From the Treasure of the Cathedral to the MEMB, there are many museums where you can discover local history, art and culture
  • Art & Culture
Monza musei

Legend of the Seven Brothers

An evocative tale of eight brothers, linked to each other, who lived in the Lecco area
  • Art & Culture
Traditions of Lecco: Legend of the Seven Brothers

Literary suggestions in Lombardy

Wandering around the region, among places, cities and events that have inspired great authors
  • Art & Culture
Literary suggestions in Lombardy

Monument Varese

Stately homes, religious buildings, fortifications and UNESCO treasures among the beauties of Varese and its surroundings
  • Art & Culture
Monument Varese, what to see

A Day in Pavia

When organizing your trip to Lombardy do not forget to visit Pavia
  • Art & Culture
A Day in Pavia

10 good reasons to visit Como

  • Art & Culture
10 good reasons to visit Como

Contemporary Varese

Una guida alle architetture e nuovi spazi dedicati all'arte contemporanea: i percorsi del contemporaneo tra Varese, Laveno, Maccagno.
  • Art & Culture
Contemporary Varese

Marta and the Elephant

The event is the pre-view of Stefano Bombardieri's exhibition at Fodri Palace
  • Art & Culture
Marta and the Elephant