The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto, MART, came into being in 1987 as an independently administered body of the Autonomous Province of Trento. The MART comprises three museums: the main museum in Rovereto, the Galleria Civica in Trento and Casa Depero in Rovereto.
The large complex of the main museum in Rovereto, inaugurated on Decenber 15 2002, was designed by the architect Mario Botta, together with the engineer Giulio Andreolli. The building rises behind Palazzo dell'Annona, housing the public library, and palazzo Alberti. The space between the two buildings is a wide corridor taking to a circular square covered with a steel and glass dome, from where visitors enter the museum.
The exhibition area covers some 12,000 sq m, 6,000 of which are dedicated to the art of the XX and XXI centuries, whereas more than 5,000 are dedicated to research and education.
The museum building comprises four floors. Located in and around the main lobby are the reception desk, the information area, the bookshop, the cafeteria, the conference room and the cloakroom.
Visitors may proceed from the ground floor to the basement area, which houses the Archivio del '900, with 80,000 documents, and the Library, with more than 70,000 volumes, one of the most important in the world focusing on avant-garde movements. The first floor consists of areas set aside for temporary exhibitions, the educational section, the offices, large terraces used for projects, site specific structures and a sculpture garden. On the second floor a steel and glass hall takes to an area of about 3,800 sq m: this is the permanent exhibition, divided in two sections, the first one dedicated to Futurism, and the second one to Italian art in the XX century.
Collections
The MART's valuable permanent collection comprises of more than 20,000 paintings, drawings and sculptures, and has been built up over the years through acquisitions, donations, and bequests from important private collections. A large part of the permanent collection is devoted to Futurism, with masterpieces by Giacomo Balla and Gino Severini. Indeed, the MART possesses more than 3,500 works - drawings, paintings, sculptures and tapestries - bequeathed to the museum by the artist Fortunato Depero.
Italian twentieth-century art is represented by works from the Giovanardi collection, among them masterpieces by Osvaldo Licini, Mario Sironi, Massimo Campigli, and Carlo Carrà, and an important group of paintings by Giorgio Morandi.
Abstract and informal art is represented by Fausto Melotti, Lucio Fontana, Alberto Burri, Afro,Toti Scialoja, Gastone Novelli, Emilio Vedova, Antonio Sanfilippo, and Carla Accardi, besides paintings and sculptures by numerous other outstanding Italian artists.
Particularly relevant is the section devoted to contemporary art, with works of the Grassi Collection, of the AGI Veron, of the Pop Art and of the Minimal Art, including paintings by Arman, Jim Dine, Jasper Johns, Robert Morris and Andy Warhol.
The section dedicated to international art contains important works by Tony Cragg, Anselm Kiefer, Ilya Kabakov, David Simpson and Max Cole. Several are the works by Italian artists of the 70's and 80's: from Mario Merz to Jannis Kounellis, from Alighiero Boetti to Pierluigi Calzolari.
Two large areas of the first floor are dedicated to temporary exhibitions.
Outside the mart there is the Giardino delle sculture with a selection of new works, among which "Epistylium", a 6 meters high reinforced concrete structure, the last work by Giuseppe Uncini before his demise.
The Exhibitions
In the early years of the new site, Mart - which has seen over one million visitors to date - has organized exhibitions on Italian artists such as Medardo Rosso, Luigi Russolo, Thayaht, Fausto Melotti, Vittore Grubicy, Mario Sironi, Carol Rama, Giulio Paolini, Alighiero Boetti; thematic exhibitions on particular groups of works within the permanent collections, and constant research in the worlds of design, applied arts and contemporary art.
Above all, however, the museum has produced exhibitions on original and innovative themes, on each occasion involving high-profile scientific committees. Among the most important initiatives, it is worth noting "La Danza delle Avanguardie" ('The dance of the avant-gardes'), on the links between visual arts and dance, and exhibitions such as "Montagna arte scienza mito" ('Mountain art science myth') and "Il Bello e le bestie" ('Beauty and the beasts').
Alongside these exhibitions, Mart also organises numerous opportunities for enthusiasts, tourists, scholars and residents: film screenings, concerts, cycles of conferences, meetings with artists and critics, debates, study conferences.
Every year no less than 70.000 children take part to activities organized by the Education Department of Mart. The education project is based on methods developed after a ten-year experience. Children are guided into the world of arts and approach the artistic languages through practical experience and application of techniques in the workshops. Afterwards at school children can analyze and apply what they have learned.
The Educational Department of Mart organizes also workshops for adults and families, refresher courses for teachers and guided tours to temporary exhibitions.
Visiting Hours
From Tuesday to Sunday: 10.00 a.m. - 06.00 p.m.
Friday: 10.00 a.m. - 09.00 p.m.
Closed on Mondays
The ticket office will be open until half an hour before the closing time of the Museum
Tickets
Full price: € 15
Discount holders: €10
Young people (15 to 26 years) / Over 65 / Groups / Euregio Family Card and Family Pass holders / Euregio 2Plus Ticket holders: € 10
Families: € 22
Mart Membership / Under 15 years / School groups and accompanying teachers / People with a disability and carers / Professionals: Free entry
Every first Sunday of the month from October to March (booking necessary - booking fee € 1)
For further information
MART
Corso Bettini, 43
38068 Rovereto (TN)
Free toll phone number from Italy 800 397760
From outside Italy: +39 0464 438887
