Pinacoteca di Brera
Milan, Italy
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Visitor Information
Museum Address
Via Brera 28, 20121 Milan, Italy
Milan, Italy
Ticket Prices
€15 (under 18 free)
Featured Artists
11 artists in database
The Pinacoteca di Brera was founded in 1809 by Napoleon I, who wanted Milan, capital of his Kingdom of Italy, to have a museum rivaling the Louvre. The collection grew through Napoleon's requisition of artworks from suppressed churches and convents across northern Italy, transforming a modest academic collection into a major repository of Italian art. Raphael's Marriage of the Virgin became the key painting of the early collection.
Today the museum holds the foremost collection of Italian paintings from the 13th to 20th centuries, with the largest collection of Venetian art outside Venice. Andrea Mantegna's Lamentation of Christ and Giovanni Bellini's Pietà represent the Renaissance. Umberto Boccioni and other Futurist works show Italian modernism. An exchange with the Louvre brought Flemish masterpieces by Rubens, Jordaens, and Van Dyck. The Palazzo Citterio modern wing opened in 2024 as part of the "Grande Brera" project.
Visiting Pinacoteca di Brera
Mantegna's Lamentation of Christ is the defining work. The foreshortened body of Christ is one of the most studied compositions in art. Raphael's Marriage of the Virgin is equally important.
Italian Renaissance painting dominates. Giovanni Bellini's Pietà and Venetian altarpieces fill several rooms. Lombard and Venetian schools are the two main threads, with Caravaggio and 17th-century Baroque completing the timeline.
In Milan's Brera district, inside the Palazzo Brera (also home to the art academy and botanical garden). The building is a 17th-century Jesuit college. Mantegna's Lamentation hangs in Room VI. It's about a 15-minute walk from the Duomo.
Napoleon assembled it. When he suppressed monasteries and churches across northern Italy, the confiscated altarpieces came here. That's why the collection is so rich in religious painting. Bellini's devotional works were among the earliest transfers.
Free on the first Sunday of each month. Otherwise about €15. Thursday evenings offer extended hours. Raphael's Marriage of the Virgin is in Room XXIV. The Renaissance galleries are the museum's greatest strength.
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Browse Our CollectionPlease note: Artwork locations and display status may change. Some paintings may be on loan, in restoration, or moved to different galleries within the museum. We recommend contacting Pinacoteca di Brera directly to confirm specific artwork availability before your visit.
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