Pinacoteca di Brera

It's amazing how much you have time for when you are exploring! We ended our day with a late afternoon visit to the Pinacoteca di Brera.

This is the main public art gallery in Milan, its collections span many centuries. At this time they had a temporary exhibition going on called Giorgio Armani: Milano, per amore. It was really cool, as the over 120 garments from the Armani archives were displayed in the galleries among the permanent collection of the museum; creating a fascinating dialogue between fashion and centuries of art.

The Brera collection is housed in the historic Palazzo Brera, a former monastery that in 1809 became the gallery. Initially it was an educational collection for the academy, and over time it was transformed into a public art gallery.

I studied this in Uni, Lamentation over the dead Christ from 1483, by Andrea Mantegna. It was mind-blowing to see it in real life.

The idea to present fashion as a form of decorative art was certainly letting the tailoring and design to evolve in conversation with the surrounding paintings and sculptures.

Multi-sensory experiences, you could touch some examples of the materials used in the paintings:

One of my absolute favourite pairings! Giovanni Bellini's Madonna and Child, from 1510 in the background of this beautiful blue Armani gown. 

The settings made these garments feel like wearable art!

Unlike many museums that once began as private collections of princes or nobles, this museum was created intentionally as a public gallery and through the centuries the public has had access to this rich painting heritage. A democratisation of art and culture that sure has shaped the cultural identity and appreciation of art in Italy.

Another very famous masterpiece, The Kiss by Francesco Hayez, 1859.

The Marriage of the Virgin, 1504, by Raphael.

Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker, by Antonio Canova, 1808.

We finished in the library, which holds a collection of over 1,5 million items. This library continues to function not only as a reserve of books, but as a cultural resource open to scholars and the general public.