Modern Art Gallery Sant'Anna

History

The Teatro Politeama on Piazza Ruggero Settimo, just north of the central Palermo was completed by the late 19th century, and to lure more visitors and create a cultural landmark, a painting and sculptor gallery, named after its initial patron, Empedocle Restivo, was installed in 1910 in the second floor foyer featuring mainly local contemporary talent. In 2006, it was decided to move the enlarging collection to a more central space, and the city had available the large former Franciscan convent near the church of Sant'Anna, and it adjacent former Palazzo Bonet, a former 15th-century residence.

The palazzo Bonet had been erected c. 1480 by the Catalan merchant Gaspare Bonet. In 1618, his family sold the palace to the Franciscans who made it part of their monastery. In the 18th century, earthquakes damaged the building, and refurbishments were made by the monastery. In the 19th century, part of the Convent was converted to apartments. In the 1866, the convent was suppressed, and parts were used for a school. Starting in 1996, the Municipality funded the refurbishment, creating more than 1,300 square meters of exhibition spaces, and rooms for educational activities, conference halls, library, archives, bookshop and cafeteria. The converision of the building into a museum was carried out by Tonino Martelli and Roberto Termini, with Alessandra Raso, Stefano Testa and Matteo Raso of the Cliostraat company adding to the planning for a museum. In 2006, the collection was moved from the Politeama here. The entrance and exhibition spaces are mainly housed in the former site of Palazzo Bonet.

The gallery houses works of important artists like Giovanni Boldini, Massimo Campigli, Carlo Carrà, Felice Casorati, Eustachio Catalano, Giorgio de Chirico, Ettore De Maria Bergler, Emilio Greco, Renato Guttuso, Nino Franchina, Lia Pasqualino Noto, Antonino Leto, Salvatore Lo Forte, Francesco Lo Jacono, Vincenzo Ragusa, Pippo Rizzo, Mario Rutelli, Aleardo Terzi, Onofrio Tomaselli, Mario Sironi, Franz von Stuck and Elisa Maria Boglino.

Collections

Donna Olimpia Pamphili and Innocent X with a Cardinal, 1891 circa, oil on canvas, cm 232 × 310

The Night of 19 July 1812 in Palermo, or the Renunciation of Sicilian Feudalism (The Abolition of 'Fidecommesso'), 1874, oil on canvas, cm 197 × 268 …