GAM - Galleria d'Arte Moderna di Nervi

Genoa's GAM modern art gallery occupies Villa Saluzzo Serra in Nervi and preserves a major civic collection of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Ligurian art.

Why it matters

The gallery opened in 1928 in a collection that grew from the bequest of Prince Odone di Savoia and later civic acquisitions. Its holdings include paintings, sculpture, drawings and prints from the nineteenth century to the contemporary period. A strong group of works by Ligurian painters, including the Scuola dei Grigi and Divisionist artists such as Rubaldo Merello and Plinio Nomellini, gives the collection a distinctive regional focus.

What to notice

Plinio Nomellini's Il Cantiere and Nuova gente represent his Divisionist work. Giulio Monteverde's collection of plaster models documents the sculptor's practice, while Arturo Martini's terracotta La Convalescente represents Italian sculpture between the wars. Works by Richard Miller and Lucien Simon place the collection in a wider international context. Villa Saluzzo Serra combines a sixteenth-century core with later additions and decorative work.

Context and history

The civic collection was displayed at Palazzo Bianco from 1892 and in Palazzo Rosso from 1919 before GAM opened in Villa Saluzzo Serra in 1928. The municipality acquired the villa in 1927. During the Second World War, works were moved to Voltaggio for protection; the gallery reopened in 1946. After restoration beginning in 1989, the gallery was redesigned and reopened in 2004 as part of the Musei di Nervi, alongside collections in other villas in the park.