The MART- Museo d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto is one of Italy’s largest and most important museums of modern and contemporary art.
“We want a museum that is full of vitality and has a global breadth, representing the energy of places and persons, and which plays an active role in the life of the country in the present and future; a museum that is a center of excellence and a welcoming destination, rich in emotions, surprising and innovative.” (Cristiana Collu, Director of MART from 2011 to 2014)
Architecture and site
The MART is located close to the historical center of Rovereto, a town near the city of Trento, which, although not as monumental as Venice or Verona, is nevertheless a very nice example of the typical architectural style of north-eastern Italy.
Since 2002, the museum has been housed in a modern building, designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta, the imposing circular courtyard of which has become the unofficial hallmark of the institution. The monumental steel-frame dome covering the courtyard was clearly inspired by and has the same diameter as the Pantheon dome in Rome.
What to see at the MART museum
The permanent collection of the MART museum comprises approximately 30,000 artworks, dating from the late 19th century to the present day. The collection is mostly focused on Italian modern and contemporary artists and avant-garde art movements – such as Futurism and Arte Povera – and includes works by Giacomo Balla, Alighiero Boetti, Alberto Burri, Felice Casorati, Giorgio De Chirico, Fortunato Depero, Lucio Fontana, Mario Merz, Giorgio Morandi, Michelangelo Pistoletto, and Mario Schifano, to name a few; yet, the collection also includes works by major international artists such as Joseph Beuys, Tony Cragg, Wassily Kandinsky, Anselm Kiefer, Sol LeWitt, and Bill Viola, among others.
Pieces from the collection are exhibited on a rotational basis in the museum’s permanent exhibition; the exhibition is divided into two main sections, one focused on modern art from the 19th century to the mid-20th century; and one dedicated to contemporary art after World War Two.
Activities and services
The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art organizes temporary exhibitions, guided tours, special events, and workshops.
The building of the museum, fully accessible to physically impaired people, includes spaces for special exhibitions and site-specific art installations, a permanent creative space for children, a conference room, a 60.000-volume open-access library, a documentation center, a book and gift shop, and a cafe-restaurant.
Pictures
The domed courtyard of the MART museum in Rovereto designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta. Photo © Riccardo Bianchini / Inexhibit
The lobby of the museum. Photo © Riccardo Bianchini / Inexhibit
MART, “Álvaro Siza. Inside the human being”, 2014, installation view. Photo © Riccardo Bianchini / Inexhibit
Cover image: The courtyard of the MART museum. Photo © Riccardo Bianchini / Inexhibit