Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea

The National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art occupies Cesare Bazzani's building at Valle Giulia in Rome. Its collection spans Italian and European art from Neoclassicism to the present, with works in painting, sculpture, drawing and installation.

Why it matters

Opened in 1883 and moved to Valle Giulia for the 1911 international exhibition, the gallery preserves a national collection of modern art. Its holdings number about 20,000 works and include major movements from Impressionism and Divisionism to Futurism, Surrealism and the Roman School. In 2014 it became an autonomous institute; the display project Time is Out of Joint opened in 2016.

What to notice

The collection includes works by Canova and Hayez, Italian Futurists such as Giacomo Balla, and European artists including Cézanne, Monet, Van Gogh, Klimt, Kandinsky and Modigliani. Another holding is the 1964 version of Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain, made after the 1917 original. Sculpture is represented by artists including Rodin, Calder, Giacometti and Moore; later holdings include works by Lucio Fontana, Alberto Burri and Cy Twombly.

Context and history

The gallery's first home soon proved too small, and the move to Bazzani's Valle Giulia building established its lasting presence in Rome's cultural quarter. The collection expanded through acquisitions and gifts over the twentieth century. Following its 2014 reform as an autonomous institute, the gallery developed a presentation that brings works from different periods into dialogue. Its activities also include conservation, research, archives and loans from the collection.