Collezione Maramotti

The building that houses the Maramotti Collection stands on the site of the former Max Mara factory, founded in 1951, and tells two extraordinary stories: that of the Italian fashion industry and that of contemporary art.

The building, designed in 1957 by architects Antonio Pastorini and Eugenio Salvarani, was conceived as an innovative space, featuring natural lighting and ventilation, versatile and adaptable to a wide range of needs.
In 2003, following the company’s move to its new headquarters, the building was designated to house the contemporary art collection of Max Mara’s founder, Achille Maramotti.

The conversion into a museum, entrusted to the British architect Andrew Hapgood, preserved the building’s essential character, keeping the original design concept intact, transforming it into a modern and versatile exhibition space and enhancing the architecture as an element in dialogue with the works on display.

The Collection

The Collection is spread over two floors and 43 rooms: on the ground floor, next to the library, spacious areas host temporary exhibitions dedicated to the new leading figures in contemporary art.

The permanent collection comprises over two hundred works created between 1945 and the present day, including paintings, sculptures and installations, which reflect the major Italian and international artistic trends of the second half of the 20th century. The exhibition itinerary begins with European Expressionist and Abstract works from the 1950s, moves through Roman Pop Art and Arte Povera, and culminates in Italian and international Neo-Expressionism and American New Geometry from the 1980s and 1990s.
The 21st-century works are presented in temporary thematic exhibitions on the ground floor, making the Collection a true ‘work in progress’, which continues to document and showcase the new languages of contemporary art.