The Pinacoteca di Brera is one of the most appreciated museums internationally by art lovers and not only: born as a national museum of the Kingdom of Italy and aimed at the self-celebration of Napoleon Bonaparte, is located in the homonymous Milanese palace and preserves collections of great value of different authors
Let’s discover the history of the Pinacoteca and all the useful information to visit it!
The Pinacoteca di Brera was built in 1776 by the great architect Giuseppe Piermarini: the intent was to create a collection with educational purposes for young students of the Academy of Fine Arts founded by Maria Teresa of Austria.
Officially established in 1809 and, when Milan became the capital of the Kingdom of Italy, thanks to the will of Napoleon, the Pinacoteca di Brera was transformed into a museum in which were exhibited all the most important works from conquered territories including Veneto, Emilia, Marche and Lombardy itself.
After the Restoration period the Pinacoteca di Brera continued to enrich its collection thanks to the acquisition of works created by the students and masters of the Academy until, in 1882, the management of the museum separated from that of the Academy and there was a reorganization of the works.
Pinacoteca di Brera today
Today the Pinacoteca di Brera is one of the most important art museums in the world as it houses some of the most prestigious works, both paintings and sculptures.
Among the various authors that you can appreciate inside the gallery there are Mantegna, Raffaello Sanzio, Caravaggio, Tintoretto, Piero della Francesca and several other artists of great calibre.
The Pinacoteca houses over 400 works dating back to the period between the fourteenth and twentieth centuries mainly by Italian artists, distributed in 38 rooms: the section that houses the greatest number of paintings is from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century. Inside the Pinacoteca there are special chronological and geographical paths that aim to revive the history of Italian painting divided by regions.
Among the paintings dating back to the eighteenth century there are masterpieces of sacred painting including the Madonna del Carmelo by Tiepolo or the famous still lifes of Baschenis. Other well-known works that can be found in the museum are the romantic portraits of Hayez, the collections of Morandi, Carrà, Sirroni, De Pisis and many other renowned artists.
Visit the Pinacoteca
The Pinacoteca di Brera is located in via Brera 28, in Milan: it is easily reachable by public transport, that is by train, bus and tram or by car or if you want to opt for sustainable transport there is also the possibility of renting a bike.
To avoid long queues at the entrance, you can buy the ticket directly online and book the visit for the desired day and time: the price of the full ticket is 15,00 euros and you receive a virtual nominal card to access the museum an unlimited number of times for a period of three months.
There are also various discounts for students, groups, families or depending on age, even on specific days of the week. To enjoy the best of the visit to the Pinacoteca di Brera, inside the museum there are several design benches to sit comfortably to admire the works: in some cases have been created reproductions of the fabrics that are depicted in the paintings or there are scents to create a sensory experience at 360 degrees.
You will also like to know that on some days of the week you can listen live to a group of strings thanks to Brera Musica: another way to visit one of the most appreciated collections in the world.
Finally, if you are an art lover and want to organize your visit to the Pinacoteca di Brera it is good to know that there is the possibility of buying a combined ticket with the Last Supper of Leonardo da Vinci, or also visit the Castello Sforzesco, located right near the gallery.
Cover Image: the Patent
