What is there
to see?

The building attracts a lot of attention from the outside, especially if you are coming from the Villa Borghese park opposite. If you enter the museum via the wide staircase into the foyer, you will realise after just a few breaths that something big is waiting for you here. And that in both senses of the word, because it is not only the rooms that are big, but also the works of art.

Modern and contemporary art is spread throughout the more than 50 rooms, providing a very good representation of the development of art from the 19th century to the present day. Thanks to the varied design and the generous distribution of the works, you can really get involved with the art, virtually immerse yourself in it.

The title of the exhibition that has influenced the interior design since 2016 is “Time is Out of Joint”. With it, the museum was extensively restructured and has since focused on the presentation of art that is not (always) linear. The title and the exhibition itself is based on the elasticity of the concept of time in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. “Time is out of joint: O cursed spite / That I was born to do it right!” Hamlet, Act I, Scene V.

Each room is impressive in its own way – whether because of the many small sculptures made of marble or metal, or because of the huge paintings on the walls. There are also works of art in the small courtyards, so you can be sure: Art runs through the whole building here. Even carpets become art here.

A series of paintings that is known worldwide are the “Water Lilies” by Claude Monet. The artist’s choice of colours (blue-green-pink) and his design hark back to Japonism, and he succeeds in creating a multi-dimensionality through the reflections in the water. Anyone interested in Monet’s large-format water lilies should visit the Orangerie in Paris once in their life!

In addition to Monet (and almost literally, the paintings actually hang not far from each other), you can also see Klimt’s “The Three Ages of a Woman” from 1905. As the title suggests, you can see three women of different ages. The two younger women (probably mother and child) are surrounded by cool colours (blue and turquoise), while the older lady – on the left of the picture – is painted against warm colour surfaces (orange, brown, red). Even though the figures in the painting seem to be at rest, the picture itself is very moving. If you want to see more Klimt, you simply have to go to Vienna!

Other big names we met on our tour through the halls are Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol and Marcel Duchamp with his “Pissoare”. Lucio Fontana is represented several times and the “Iron Age” by August Rodin is also here (this can also be found in the Rodin Museum Paris).

It was a great tour with a nice mix of modern and contemporary art, which always had aha-moments in store and now tempts us to elevate this museum to an insider tip in Rome… We will add this in the corresponding article soon.

GALLERIA NAZIONALE D'ARTE MODERNA
A bit of History

The museum “Galleria nazionale d’arte moderna e contemporanea” (GNAM for short) was opened in 1883. Since then, it has been the home of Italian and international art from the 19th to the 21st century. The development and movement of art over time is very well represented by the works of neoclassicism and impressionism, early 20th century avant-gardes or from futurism and surrealism.

The gallery was not always in the building that houses it today. Before the huge museum was commissioned in 1911, the art collection was housed in the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Via Nazionale. The year 1911 is not insignificant for Italian history… After all, it was the 50th anniversary of the unification of Italy! And this occasion was also the official reason for giving the gallery a new, more adequate location.

In 1933, the museum was expanded because the art collection had become too large and not all the works could fit in the rooms. However, the new rooms were initially used for photographs, prints and panels with fascist content.

It was a woman, Palma Bucarelli, who ran the museum from 1941 to 1975. Thanks to her work, the museum was equipped with services that today are indispensable for a modern museum: a café, a shop and meetings with the artists. It was also she who moved important works of art into Palazzo Farnese during the war years to protect them from attack.

From 1995 to 1999, the museum was extensively restored and restructured. In 2004, the works were rearranged once again. The museum was given a look that impresses above all with its bright, open appearance and its visual and aesthetic impact.

By the way: During my visit, there were two young ladies in front of me who had actually reserved their ticket for 3 pm. They were nevertheless able to visit the museum at 11 a.m. without any problems! That would never work at the Colosseum or the Vatican Museums, for example…