Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome

Meier's Ara Pacis

Deredia at the Colosseum

Rome is a city obsessed with fetishizing its glorious past, where  every street corner bears monuments to its bygone art heroes. The art and architecture of the city are dominated by works from centuries and millennia ago. With the notable exceptions of the current Deridia a Roma exhibition dotted around the city and Richard Meier’s recent reimagining of the Ara Pacis, the influence of modern and contemporary art movements is all but invisible. However, that is not to say that Rome is a city devoid of modern art, but rather that the contemporary art scene has hitherto been marginalized. The location of the city’s two biggest paeans to contemporary art, MACRo and MAXXI, outside of the city centre is emblematic of this marginalization. The art scene seems to be flourishing, albeit in small pockets of artistic communities. The arrival of the Gagosian gallery and emergence of independent establishments signal a gradual shift.

Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna

The National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art is a State-owned museum near Villa Borghese housing predominantly Italian art from 19th and 20th centuries. The building itself is huge and the rooms of the ground floor are crowded with paintings from the 19th century. In fact, this part of the museum doesn’t feel like  a modern or contemporary space, divided as it is into smaller rooms with pink walls and elaborately framed paintings. Upstairs, where most of the 20th century art is displayed, however, is  spacious with white walls and generally a more modern aesthetic. The current exhibition on display is dedicated to Palma Bucarelli, one of the gallery’s first directors, and so in a sense the exhibition is dedicated to the history of the gallery itself. The exhibition includes painting and sculpture as well as a sampling of Bucarelli’s incredible collection of evening gowns. While the emphasis is on Italian art, there is a Monet, a Mondrian and a Cezanne among the permanent collection. The temporary exhibitions are varied, recent exhibitions include a spectacular Cy Twombly  show and drawings by Sol le Witt. Entry is 10 euros for adults and 7.50 for students (under 25s).
Viale delle Belle Arti 131

Hours: Tue – Sun 8.30 – 19.30

MACRo

Probably the closest Rome has to offer as a counterpart to the MOMA, albeit on a smaller scale, the Museo dell’Arte Contemporaneo a Roma has a varied permanent collection, including photography, paintings and installations. The bulk of the permanent collection is dedicated to Italian artists from the 1960s onward. Although the layout is a little confusing (the museum takes up two buildings and a few stories so you have to cross back and forth between the buildings to take in everything), it’s an impressive space with a relaxed atmosphere. The current installation, Where the bees suck, there I suck, a fiberglass and metal construction by Indian artist Hema Upadhayay was designed especially for MACRo. (Free entry)

Via Reggio Emilia 54

Hours: Tue – Sun 9.00 – 19.00

Gagosian Gallery

The opening of the latest outpost of Larry Gagosian’s galleries in Rome in 2007 put the city on the map for modern art enthusiasts. The gallery, just a few minutes from the Trevi fountain, is housed in an airy spacious building.  The current exhibition by Cindy Sherman, a New York-based artist best known for her self-portraits, including the series Untitled Film Stills features her latest collection of portraits. Styled as wealthy middle-aged American women, the photographs mark her switch to digital photography. Entry is free.
Via Francesco Crispi 48
Hours: Tue – Sat 10.30-19.00

Palazzo delle Esposizioni

The largest exhibition space in the centre of Rome, the Palazzo hosts a range of exhibitions, usually of modern and contemporary art. Bulgari and photography exhibitions.  Space is ample and the exhibitions are arranged on different floors, with a couple of exhibitions on display at a time. Currently on display is a Bulgari (jewellery) retrospective that traces the history of the ornate Italian jewellery house favoured by royalty and film stars from the late 1800s to 2005. The second floor of the Palazzo is currently occupied by an exhibition of Gina Lollobrigida’s photography. The building also includes a cinema, an auditorium, a restaurant and an excellent bookstore specializing in art books. Entry is 10 euros for adults, 7.50 for students.

Via Nazionale 194

Hours: Tue – Sun 10.00 – 20.00

MAXXI

Museo dell’Arte del XXI Secolo, the Contemporary Art and Architecture Centre, the first national gallery in Rome dedicated solely to contemporary art, was designed by Iraqi-born architect Zaha Hadid. The building itself is a rare example of contemporary design in this ancient city, thus provoking mixed reviews (this ambiguous reaction is exemplary of the city’s difficult relationship with modern architecture). Located in the Flaminia disctrict in the north of Rome, the building is designed to house temporary and permanent collections as well as a library, architecture centre and conference rooms. The museum will open to the public in 2010
Via Guido Reni 2f

Rialto Sant’Ambrogio

The most centrally located of Rome’s many associazioni culturali, the Rialto was conceived in 1999 in an abandoned cinema, and with it was born a space (and a community) dedicated to the alliance of art, politics, culture and activism. Currently located in the old Jewish quarter of Rome, just across the river from Trastevere, the Rialto S.Ambrogio has become a non state-owned public space designed for social interaction and art, including theatre and music performances as well as visual art exhibitions and installations. At the heart of the Rialto community’s ethos are the exclusion of economic obstacles and the acceptance of artistic expression in its many forms, independent of traditional models of what is considered ‘proper art’, the primacy of collaboration and interaction, and the destruction of creative boundaries.  The phenomenon is exciting in a city where the establishment is considered eminent as far as art goes. It portends the birth of a new multifaceted art culture in Rome.

Via di Sant’Ambrogio 4