Pinacoteca Brera official. Milan Treasury: Pinacoteca Brera
The Pinacoteca Brera, founded in the 18th century, is one of the largest art galleries in Milan. A huge number of works by Italian artists from the 14th to 18th centuries are exhibited here, as well as unique collections of paintings by European masters from the 15th to 17th centuries.
The main masterpiece of art in the Pinacoteca of Brera is considered to be “The Betrothal of Our Lady” by Raphael.
History of the Pinacoteca Brera
The Pinacoteca Brera is housed in a magnificent Baroque palace built in the 16th century. The Milan Academy of Arts (Accademia di Belle Arti Milano) is located on the ground floor of the palace. The decision to organize the Pinakothek was made by Queen Maria Theresa of Austria in the 18th century. The opening of the art gallery was supposed to be just for students studying at the academy.
Subsequently, the gallery's collection was significantly expanded by Napoleon, who planned to make Milan the capital of all of Europe.
Modern times
At the Pinacoteca de Brera there are always many people who want to admire the true masterpieces of European and, in particular, Italian painting. Inspecting the unique collections of paintings by artists of the 14th-19th centuries, occupying 38 halls of the palace, is difficult to fit into one day. For convenience, you can directly go to the halls of the era and school of painting you are interested in.
You can take a break from the artistic perception of works of art on a wonderful terrace in one of the many cafes.
Another nice feature of the Pinacoteca Brera is the opportunity to see with your own eyes how the restoration of paintings takes place in a huge workshop located behind glass walls.
Collection of the Pinacoteca Brera
The Pinacoteca de Brera houses unique collections of paintings by the most famous artists such as Raphael, Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Mantegna, Donato Bramante, Gentile da Fabriano, Piero della Francesca, Tintoretto, Carpaccio, Lorenzo Lotto, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Van Dyck, El Greco , Goya and many others.
The collections are located in 38 rooms in chronological order and in accordance with three schools of painting: Tuscan, Venetian, Lombard. Room ten houses paintings from the 20th century.
1 - 6 halls
The first hall of the Pinacoteca Brera is entirely dedicated to images of Jesus Christ. The second, third and fourth halls display paintings by Italian artists of the 13th-16th centuries. The works of Venetian artists housed in the fifth and sixth halls date back to the 15th and 16th centuries.
7 – 19 halls
The seventh, eighth, ninth and fourteenth halls are also dedicated to paintings by Venetian masters from different eras. Starting from the fifteenth hall and up to the nineteenth there are frescoes depicting saints and martyrs by masters of the 15th-16th centuries.
20 – 24 halls
In the twentieth, twenty-second and twenty-third rooms there are paintings by Bolognese artists. And in the twenty-first room there are polyptychs dating back to the 15th century. Moving on to the twenty-fourth room, you can see paintings by Renaissance artists.
27 – 30 halls
Halls twenty-seven and twenty-eight are reserved for the work of Italian masters of the 15th and 16th centuries. In the twenty-ninth room there are paintings by Michelangelo. And in the thirtieth - works of the Lombard school of painting of the 17th century.
31 – 38 halls
Rooms thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three are intended for paintings by Dutch masters, rooms thirty-five and thirty-six are for Venetian artists, and rooms thirty-seven and thirty-eight are for paintings by artists of the 19th century. The thirty-fourth room contains icons from the 18th century.
Also, the Pinacoteca de Brera often hosts exhibitions of works by contemporary artists.
Must see
The most famous masterpieces stored in the gallery are: “Young Hannibal Swears Eternal Hatred against Rome” by Pellegrini Giovanni Antonio, “Dead Christ” by Mantegna, “The Miracle of St. Mark” by Tintoretto, “Madonna and Child, John the Baptist and John the Evangelist” by Vincenzo Foppa , “The Sermon of St. Mark in Alexandria” by Giovanni and Gentile Bellini, “Portrait of Mois Kisling” by Modigliani, “Altarpiece of Montefeltro” by Piero della Francesca, “Christ at the Column” by Donato Bramante, “Supper at Emmaus” by Caravaggio, “The Kiss” by Francesco Hayetz.
And, of course, don’t miss Raphael’s famous painting “The Betrothal of the Virgin Mary.”
- on Thursday you can visit the gallery until 22.15 (the ticket office closes at 21.40).
Ticket price
The cost of visiting the Pinacoteca (Gallery) of Brera as of 2019 is:
- 12 Euro for adults;
- a discount ticket will cost less - only 8 Euros;
- An audio guide in English, Italian, French, German or Spanish costs 5 Euro.
Moreover, every first Sunday of the month, admission to the Brera Pinacoteca is free, except for exhibitions for which a separate ticket is required.
Official website of the Pinacoteca Brera: pinacotecabrera.org.
Excursions in Milan
If you want something more interesting than the traditional walk around the city on a map, then try a new format for sightseeing. In modern times, unusual excursions from local residents are becoming increasingly popular! After all, who knows the history and most interesting places of Milan better than a local resident?
You can view all excursions and choose the most intriguing one on the website.
During a trip to Italy, I spent three days in Milan: two at the beginning of the trip and one at the end. I visited the two most interesting museums in Milan - the Brera Pinacoteca and the Leonardo da Vinci Technical Museum on this last day. However, I decided to slightly break the chronology of my tour and show Milan in its entirety first. Therefore, today’s post will be dedicated to the Brera Pinacoteca - one of the best museums in Milan.
It is located in an ancient palazzo. It houses both a museum and an art school. 
The founder of this museum is Napoleon, by whose decree the museum was created in 1811. 
Therefore, in the central courtyard, tourists are greeted by a statue by Canova, depicting Napoleon in nature (although the sculptor somewhat flattered him with the figure, taking the ancient Jupiter as a prototype): 
Around the courtyard there are statues depicting prominent artists: 
And on the second floor gallery we are greeted by a statue by Marino Marini: 
I really love Italian sculpture of the 20th century, since it is also well represented in the Hermitage (mainly due to gifts from the sculptors themselves). But Marini (as well as Giacometti) were too modernists, they were not awarded personal exhibitions in the Hermitage during their lifetime, and therefore they are not in the Hermitage collection, and therefore I was especially interested in seeing Marini. 
Frescoes in the chapel inside the palazzo: 
Brera, of course, cannot be compared in size to the Hermitage or the Metropolitan Museum of Art (however, I think that such museums around the world can be counted on one hand). However, the museum's collection is good, and some of the items are classic pieces of art. I suggest you take a look at some of the works.
Early Renaissance: 
A very beautiful icon - one of the strongest in the first halls of the museum: 
And here the dynamic figure in the center of the picture is interesting: 
One of the main “highlights” of the entire exhibition is “Dead Christ” by Mantegna. I went to Brera first of all to see this work. I saw a reproduction of it about 20 years ago and this painting became one of my favorites, and finally I was able to look at it in the original: 
Personal acquaintance with a famous masterpiece always contains some risk. It’s far from a fact that the painting you admired in reproductions will make the same impression on you in real life. Thus, my personal acquaintance with the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel, paintings by Botticelli, and Leonardo’s “Mona Lisa” ended in disappointment for me (Ranevskaya is credited with the phrase that such paintings can choose for themselves who they like and who they don’t). But “Dead Christ” in reality turned out to be even cooler than in reproductions. 
The composition of the painting is interesting - the faces of the saints are cut off by the edge of the canvas. But this is the second half of the 15th century, about 400 years before this becomes mainstream: 
Charming work by Vittorio Carpaccio (I first became adequately acquainted with his work on this trip). The figure of the boy in the lower right corner is especially good, watching the process with interest: 
Giovanni Bellini: 
Another nail - Paolo Veronese's "Feast in the House of Simon the Pharisee": 
A thing with absolutely luxurious painting. 
It's funny that the main characters - Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene are in the left corner of the picture 
And in the center we have two dogs and cute cat. So the cats ruled back in the Renaissance: 
Another Veronese: 
And the absolutely fantastic “Saint Mark Working Miracles” by Jacopo Tintoretto: 
I must say that Tintoretto was my main impression of my trip to Italy. Alas, in Russia in museums he is represented by very weak works, and therefore, of course, I knew that there was a Tintoretto who was considered a classic, but you never know who is considered a classic. Here Titian is, yes, but Tintoretto is so-so. And in Venice I finally looked at Tintoretto in real life and realized that he was one of the greatest artists (and Titian in Italy, by the way, turned out to be rather weak, the Hermitage one is much cooler). But Tintoretto in Brera stands out even against the background of Venetian works. 
Another megahit is “Altar of Montefeltro” by Piero della Francesco: 
One of the most powerful impressions from the Uffizi Gallery was the “Urbino Diptych” by this master, but this work is not inferior to him. 
The customer of the work is Duke Federico de Montefeltro: 
Another famous hit is “The Betrothal of Mary” by Raphael. However, my relationship with this artist is complicated, I respect him (after all, ask the average person to name the artist’s last name, most likely he will be named Raphael), but I don’t really like him.
Pinacoteca Brera is one of the largest art galleries in Milan, which includes 38 rooms dedicated to works of art from various schools and eras. The name “pinakothek” is derived from two ancient Greek words – “board” and “storage”. Literally, the Pinakothek is a place for storing picturesque images. The Pinacoteca Brera was named so due to its location - the gallery is located in the historical quarter of Brera, from the Italian word “braida” or “brera”, literally translated as “land cleared of trees”. The gallery is located on the second floor of an ancient palazzo, on the first floor of which the Milan Academy of Fine Arts is located.
Palazzo Brera houses many paintings by famous artists: Titian, El Greco, Van Dyck and other masters. Paintings in the halls are placed according to two factors:
- A period of time;
- The school of painting in whose traditions the painting was made.
The exception is Hall X, dedicated to the works of modern masters.
In each room you can see genuine masterpieces of a particular era. For example, in room XXI there is the famous “Wedding of Mary”, painted by Raphael Santi, and for those who want to see only the most popular works, the excursion brochure indicates a special route that will allow you to get acquainted with the famous paintings and save time.
The building itself dates back to the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th centuries, to the Italian Baroque period. Initially, the palazzo belonged to the Umilian Order, then, after the abolition of the order, it passed to the Jesuits, who opened a university in the Pinacoteca. At the end of the 16th century, the building became unsuitable for scientific activities, and a decision was made to reconstruct the palazzo. The work was led by the Italian Baroque architect Francesco Maria Ricini. Work on the project was slowed down by the plague epidemic; the reconstruction was completed by Ricini’s son, Gian Domenico. By the time the work was completed, the Jesuit order, which owned the palazzo, was abolished, and the huge building became the property of the state.
In 1776, Empress Maria of Austria signed an order to found the Academy of Fine Arts in the Brera quarter, in the building of the future Pinakothek. As a scientific aid to the Academy, at the same time, in 1776, an art gallery was opened, the collections of which became a visual aid for young artists.
In 1796, Napoleon's army invaded the Apennine Peninsula and Milan became part of the Kingdom of Italy. Naturally, these historical changes affected the Accademia and the Brera Pinacoteca. Under the Empress of Austria, the Pinakothek existed on income received from the dissolution of monasteries and monastic orders. With the arrival of Bonaparte, the gallery was given the status of a public art museum. Brera's collections are actually replenished through the looting of church and monastery storehouses - from there, the French take works of art that have at least some value to the Pinacoteca.
Under the rule of Napoleon, the Pinakothek had separate rooms entirely dedicated to various images of the emperor. The pearl of the “Napoleonic” collection was a bronze statue of the emperor, dressed in an ancient Roman toga, by the famous sculptor Antonio Canova. In 1859, the statue was moved to the center of the palazzo courtyard, where it can still be seen today.
The Pinacoteca Brera officially opened its doors on April 20, 1809. With the end of the Bonapartist regime, by the decision of the Congress of Vienna in 1814, the gallery was obliged to return some of the paintings to their owners. However, the museum's holdings continued to expand and in 1882 it was decided to give the Pinakothek the status of an independent cultural institution.
The First World War did not damage Brera - the collections were transported to Rome, and the building was not affected by hostilities. But during World War II, the museum had a hard time. Milan was subjected to constant bombing; vaults collapsed in 30 gallery halls, causing damage to a priceless architectural monument. The works of art were saved only thanks to the efforts of the museum director, Fernanda Wittgens. To restore the building, the gallery was closed in 1943 and reopened in 1950.
Today, the Pinacoteca is a real museum center - the largest library in Milan operates here, there is a craft school and all kinds of art history projects and events are held. The museum has prepared a surprise for birthday people - on their birthday you can visit the gallery for free by presenting your passport.
After visiting the museum, you can have a snack in the cafe located on the terrace. During the Pinakothek's opening hours, a bookstore is open where you can purchase albums and books dedicated to the museum.
In addition to the Pinacoteca, Palazzo Brera houses the city observatory, an archaeological museum and a collection of casts from ancient sculptures.
Brera is a quarter of Milan, located 10 minutes walk from the Duomo. The name comes from the medieval Italian word "braida" or "brera", which goes back to the Lombard "brayda", meaning "land cleared of trees".
Around the year 900, the Brera area was located directly outside the city walls of Milan. The quarter is clearly delineated by the streets Pontaccio, Fatebenefratelli, Dei Giardini, Monte di Pieta, Ponte Vetero and Mercato.
This quarter is home to the Brera Academy of Fine Arts and the Brera Pinacoteca (an art gallery of 38 rooms), which has created a distinctive bohemian atmosphere, due to which the Brera quarter is sometimes called “Milan's Montmartre”. The Academy and the Pinacoteca are located in the main historical building of the area - Palazzo Brera, there is also an astronomical observatory, and near the building is the main botanical garden of Milan. Brera is one of Milan's most popular nightlife districts.
First of all, it is worth noting that Brera is a kingdom of pedestrians: entry is permitted only for those who live here.
There are a lot of green courtyards in the block that you want to go into and relax
In the neighborhood every now and then you come across street musicians...
....saxophonists
fortune tellers...
IMHO The presence of all kinds of artists gives the quarter its unique charm, making it the coolest place for Milanese strolls.
People like to walk here. I advise you that the first place where you go for a walk, leaving your suitcases at the hotel, is Brera.
Even the pizza in the restaurant is served creatively.
Excellent Food. When you see a basket of mushrooms you immediately get an appetite
There are really a lot of bars and restaurants here
Many have terraces
Many people drink coffee at tables on the street
The same Brera Palace. The list of places that are located in it is amazing: Brera Astronomical Observatory, Milan Botanical Garden, National Library, Brera Academy of Fine Arts and Brera Pinacoteca.
Upon entering the baroque courtyard of the late 16th - early 17th centuries, you will be greeted by a monument to Napoleon
Along the entire perimeter (and on 2 floors!) the courtyard is decorated with arched passages
Entrance to the Pinacoteca, which is ranked 20th on the list of the most visited museums in Italy. In 2013, 249,579 visitors looked at the paintings
The gallery has 38 rooms with paintings, arranged both chronologically and by school of painting (Venetian, Tuscan, Lombard), the only exception is room X, where works of the 20th century are located.
The Pinacoteca collection includes works by such artists as Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Donato Bramante, Raphael, Mantegna, Piero della Francesca, Gentile da Fabriano, Carpaccio, Tintoretto, Lorenzo Lotto, etc. 
And this is another gallery, here are paintings and ancient masks
Let's walk around the block a little...
The Pinacoteca Brera is one of the main attractions of Milan. After all, this is the most famous and largest museum in Milan, which houses numerous masterpieces of painting. At the Pinacoteca de Brera you can get acquainted with one of the largest collections of Italian and European paintings from the 14th to the 19th centuries. The Pinacoteca's collection contains works by such artists as Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Raphael, Mantegna, Donato Bramante, Piero della Francesca, Gentile da Fabriano, Tintoretto, Lorenzo Lotto, Carpaccio, and others.
History of the Pinacoteca Brera
The museum was founded in 1809. The Pinakothek has 38 painting halls, each of which is dedicated to a specific school of painting. Here you will find schools such as Lombard, Venetian, Tuscan, and others. Only the 10th hall displays works by contemporary artists who worked in the 20th century. At the Brera Pinacoteca you can admire magnificent works by such masters as El Greco, Carpaccio Tintoretto, Goya, Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Raphael, Gentile da Fabriano, Piero della Francesca, Donato Bramante, Caravaggno and many others.
Location of Pinacoteca Brera in Milan
The museum is housed in the famous Palace of the Academy of Fine Arts. In past centuries, there was a lawn (braida in Italian) on this site, which gave the name to the local quarter. A monastery was built here, and the Academy of Fine Arts and the library were built later, also by personal order of Empress Maria Theresa, who really liked this courtyard. It was also thanks to the empress that the Botanical Garden and Astronomical Observatory were founded.
For two centuries, excursion routes passed through this courtyard, built in the 17th century. Over the years, new exhibition halls have opened, and with them new routes. The works in the halls are not placed in chronological order, as is customary in most art museums, but according to their affiliation with a particular art school. But even with this approach, identifying the core of the collection is not at all difficult - these are large and famous paintings, usually of a religious nature, by masters from the Italian regions of Marche, Lombardy and Veneto. You can easily find these works; their special feature is their massive gold frames.
Features of Milan's Pinacoteca Brera
This museum has one interesting feature. Here you can see rare frescoes from the 14th to 16th centuries, many of which were transferred to the Pinakothek from destroyed or dismantled buildings. These frescoes are laid out in specially designated rooms that imitate and sometimes completely recreate the rooms where they, the frescoes, originally appeared.
Tourist information
The north of Italy has always been famous for its cultural heritage, and the sights of such a vibrant city as Milan are unlikely to leave anyone indifferent. This is not only the center of world fashion, but also the center of the largest region of Italy - Lombardy. This is a region with a rich history, which has left behind many reminders in the form of monuments, museums, monastery castles, etc. In short, there is something to see here.
Address of the Pinacoteca Brera Museum: Via Brera, 28, 20011 Milano, Italy
Phone: 39 02 7226 3264
Opening hours: daily, except Mondays from 8-30 to 19-15.
