The history of the Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art began in 1956 when the season of the San Marino International Art Biennales opened. The first exhibition, which involved more than 500 artists, even saw Renato Guttuso participating as a member of the jury. San Marino took part in the fervid debate on contemporary art of those years and thus gave birth to the Gallery, which over time has also been enriched by the prize-winning works of the Biennales.
Today the State Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art has more than 1,000 works, traceable to the period from the first decades of the 20th century to the present.
These are paintings, drawings, watercolor artworks, sculptures, and photographs acquired by donation or through the ” prize-purchase” formula, bought or commissioned directly from the artists.
Famous names such as Renato Guttuso, Corrado Cagli, Emilio Vedova, Achille Perilli, Enzo Mari, Enzo Cucchi, Sandro Chia, Gian Marco Montesano, and Luigi Ontani stand out, but there are also many creations by young and emerging artists from the area.
The collection’s permanent exhibition venue is located, as of 2018, at the Logge dei Volontari, in the historic center of San Marino, a building built in the late 1930s and restored for the occasion.
The itinerary is divided into 4 rooms with different topics:
- Abstract Art and the Representation of Reality, with works that address the historical themes of World War II and the postwar period
- Experimental languages of contemporary arts
- A new classicism, between tradition and innovation, with pictorial works from the 1970s to the present day
- Performing Archives, places historical documents related to San Marino art, artist’s books and other archival material in dialogue with the public.
Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art
Via Eugippo – San Marino City
Phone +378 0549 888241
museidistato.sm/galleriaNazionale.html
facebook.com/GNSanMarino/
Ticket: with the full pass you can visit all San Marino museums and monuments at a cost of 10 euros
Opening hours
Monday to Sunday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The museum is closed on: January 1, afternoon of November 2 and December 25
Visiting hours and fees may be subject to change, check on the official site.
