TRAVELER’S DIARY: MADRE Collection, Naples

The MADRE -museo di arte contemporanea Donnaregina is a contemporary art museum in Naples, managed by a foundation established in 2004 to promote art and culture in the Campania region. Located in the heart of Naples, the 7,200 m² museum is housed since 2005 in the Donnaregina palace, which has been restored and renovated on the occasion on a project by Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira.

By Efi Michalarou
Photo: MADRE Archive

The MADRE (museo di arte contemporanea Donnaregina) frequently holds temporary exhibitions, often organized in collaboration with international institutions, and in the 2013-2014 period has started a project aimed to involve artists, collectors and art gallery owners in expanding the permanent collection of the museum, which is conceived as a work-in-progress always open to new contributions and changes. The museum currently runs various activities, including the MADREscenza research platform for contemporary means of expression and Progetto XXI though which the museum Foundation looks for cutting-edge proposals in contemporary arts. The MADRE museum, along with spaces dedicated to the permanent collection, special exhibitions and site-specific projects, includes a media-library, rooms for educational activities and a café. Among other artists of the permanent collection are: Domenico Bianchi, Jeff Koons, Mimmo Paladino, Jannis Kounellis, Francesco Clemente, Luciano Fabro, Rebecca Horn, Anish Kapoor, Sol LeWitt, Richard Long, Richard Serra, Gilberto Zorio and Michelangelo Pistoletto.