Rovereto and the Museum of Modern Art (MART)

In December 2002 the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MART) opened its doors for the first time. The local population and the art world greeted its inauguration with scepticism and incredulity with few believing that this small town, in Trentino Alto Adige, could support a project of this size.

MART, which comes from the Italian ‘Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea’ is the brainchild of the Swiss architect Mario Botta. His idea was to create one of the largest museums of modern art in Europe in a town with only 35,000 inhabitants and with little or no tourist infrastructure. Up until the 700’s the town had been a cultural centre and home to many prominent figures, such as the musician Riccardo Zandonai, the philosopher Antonio Rosmini and the artist Fortunato Depero. All came from the town, earning Rovereto the nickname of ‘the little Athens of Trentino’ , yet attempts to put it once again on the cultural map, were initially discouraged.

Today, however, it is a different story, eight years after its inauguration the initial indifference has disappeared and it is now regarded as a success story not only for the city but for the entire province. Since it opened around a million and half visitors have passed through its doors with an average of 200,000 visitors every year, making it one of the most important cultural centres in Trentino and radically changing the lives of the local residents.

Gallery Director Gabriella Bell has staged a diverse and interesting programme of over 130 exhibitions at the gallery including futurism, Depero, the masters of 900 and the important Philips Collection with masterpieces by Goya, Monet, Van Gogh and Picasso. More recently a collection from Kunstmuseum Winterhur was displayed, including works by Monet, Picasso and Kandinsky as well as a retrospective of the artist Kendall Geer.

Apart from the exhibition programme the permanent collection has around 15,000 pieces, including paintings, drawings and sculptures. MART has undoubtedly become one of the most important cultural symbols of the region and is held in high regard by international visitors, tourists and art lovers alike.

So if you are visting the Trentino Region, make sure you spare a moment, away from the Alpine scenery and good food, to come to Rovereto and be amazed at the sheer volume and variety of works on display in this small town.