Bologna Gallery of Modern Art

History

The gallery was founded in 1925, in the Villa delle Rose, a building donated to the City of Bologna by Countess Nerina Armandi Avogli. The collection was re-ordered in 1936. Soon, thanks to many acquisitions and bequests, the collection grew large and by 1961 had already reached more than 2,000 items.

In 1975 some works were transferred to a new building, designed by Leone Pancaldi, in the Fair district. The building was opened on May 1, 1975, in the industrial north of Bologna. Its architecture a Brutalist exterior with an open and well-lit interior. It had an exhibition surface of about 2,700 square metres (29,000 sq ft) and hosted both the permanent collection, whose works where exhibited in rotation, and temporary exhibitions.

On 5 May 2007 the new venue for modern and contemporary art was inaugurated in the former bakery in Don Minzoni street (in the new cultural district Manifattura delle Arti).It was named Museo d'Arte Moderna di Bologna (or MAMbo) and, with more than 9,500 square metres (102,000 sq ft), became one of the most important Italian museums dedicated to contemporary art.