The Madre · museo d’arte contemporanea Donnaregina is located in the historical heart of Naples, Italy, just a stone’s throw away from the Dome, into the ancient San Lorenzo district.
The Museum takes its name from the building that hosts it, Palazzo Donnaregina, which, like all the surrounding area, owes its name to the Monastery of Santa Maria Donnaregina, founded by the Swabians in the 13th century and then expanded and rebuilt in 1325 by Queen Mary of Hungary, wife to Charles II of Anjou. All that remains of the ancient monastic complex is the 14th-century Gothic-style church of "Old" Donnaregina and the church of "New" Donnaregina, built in the Baroque period.
Dating back to the 19th century the building is an example of historical stratification, which is characteristic of the historical district of Naples. Originally, the building occupied almost an entire "insula" in the Graeco-Roman road system. Halfway through the 19th century the building, named Palazzo Capano, was bought by the Bank of Naples, which turned it into a pawn shop. In the second postwar period the palace underwent several architectural modifications. In the 1980s the building was leased to the Board of Education of Naples and then returned to the Bank of Naples, to be used as a warehouse. Following the damage caused by a flood in 2001, the building was abandoned.
Purchased in 2005 by the Campania Regional Government to be turned into a contemporary art museum, the Palace was restored by renowned Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira, 2012 Golden Lion for lifetime achievement, in collaboration with the Studio DAZ-Dumontet Antonini Zaske, associate architects of Naples.
Madre · museo d'arte contemporanea Donnaregina, Napoli. Courtesy Fondazione Donnaregina per le arti contemporanee, Napoli.Madre - Donnaregina Contemporary Art Museum
Palazzo Donnaregina. CourtyardMadre - Donnaregina Contemporary Art Museum
On June 10, 2005 the Madre Museum inaugurated its spaces with the opening of site-specific installations in the rooms on the first floor. Between 2005 and 2006 the whole building was completed, and the rooms on the second floor were opened to the public. These rooms host part of the collection, while the rooms on the third floor are used for temporary exhibitions.
Madre Museum. AtriumMadre - Donnaregina Contemporary Art Museum
With 7,200 m2 of exhibition spaces, the Madre Museum offers to the public a welcoming experience with temporary and permanent exhibition itineraries..
Madre Museum. LibraryMadre - Donnaregina Contemporary Art Museum
a library and a media library
Madre · museo d'arte contemporanea Donnaregina, Napoli. Courtesy Fondazione Donnaregina per le arti contemporanee, Napoli.Madre - Donnaregina Contemporary Art Museum
a bookshop/cafeteria
Madre · museo d’arte contemporanea Donnaregina, Napoli. Courtesy Fondazione Donnaregina per le arti contemporanee, Napoli.Madre - Donnaregina Contemporary Art Museum
Madre · museo d’arte contemporanea Donnaregina, Napoli. Courtesy Fondazione Donnaregina per le arti contemporanee, Napoli.Madre - Donnaregina Contemporary Art Museum
Madre · museo d'arte contemporanea Donnaregina, Napoli. Courtesy Fondazione Donnaregina per le arti contemporanee, Napoli.Madre - Donnaregina Contemporary Art Museum
two monumental courtyards
Madre · museo d'arte contemporanea Donnaregina, Napoli. Courtesy Fondazione Donnaregina per le arti contemporanee, Napoli.Madre - Donnaregina Contemporary Art Museum
Per_forming a collection. For an art archive in Campania. Exhibition view at Madre · museo d’arte contemporanea Donnaregina, Napoli (23.06.18 - in progress). Courtesy Fondazione Donnaregina per le arti contemporanee, Napoli.Madre - Donnaregina Contemporary Art Museum
Madre · museo d'arte contemporanea Donnaregina, Napoli. Courtesy Fondazione Donnaregina per le arti contemporanee, Napoli.Madre - Donnaregina Contemporary Art Museum
Madre · museo d'arte contemporanea Donnaregina, Napoli. Courtesy Fondazione Donnaregina per le arti contemporanee, Napoli.Madre - Donnaregina Contemporary Art Museum
Madre · museo d'arte contemporanea Donnaregina, Napoli. Courtesy Fondazione Donnaregina per le arti contemporanee, Napoli.Madre - Donnaregina Contemporary Art Museum
Fabio Mauri, Retrospettiva a luce solida by Fabio MauriMadre - Donnaregina Contemporary Art Museum
Madre · museo d’arte contemporanea Donnaregina, Napoli. Courtesy Fondazione Donnaregina per le arti contemporanee, Napoli.Madre - Donnaregina Contemporary Art Museum
and a roof-terrace with an extraordinary view of the city center.
Madre · museo d’arte contemporanea Donnaregina, Napoli. Courtesy Fondazione Donnaregina per le arti contemporanee, Napoli.Madre - Donnaregina Contemporary Art Museum
Untitled (horse) (2006) by Mimmo PaladinoMadre - Donnaregina Contemporary Art Museum
Madre · museo d'arte contemporanea Donnaregina, Napoli. Courtesy Fondazione Donnaregina per le arti contemporanee, Napoli.Madre - Donnaregina Contemporary Art Museum
Read more about Palazzo Donnaregina on "madre. museo d'arte contemporanea donnaregina. guida [breve]"(arte'm, 2017).
