MAGA - Museo Arte Gallarate

The MAGA is one of the most important museums and study centres for modern and contemporary art in Italy. Its origins date back to the post-war period and the Gallarate National Prize for Visual Arts, founded by Silvio Zanella in 1949 with the aim of fostering cultural revitalization at the local level and providing Gallarate with a museum of contemporary art capable of providing a point of reference and stimulus for the area as a whole. The result was the Civica Galleria d'Arte Moderna or MAGA, which opened in 1966 and has been operating for over forty years, developing its collection and organizing activities. The Fondazione Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea Silvio Zanella was set up on 19 March 2010 to direct and develop the cultural aims of the MAGA. The permanent collection provides a rich and varied overview of the movements that have characterized the Italian art scene since halfway through the 20th century. Shows, events, educational activities, workshops, post-graduate courses, lectures and performances of contemporary drama and music are all offered to the public by a dynamic and constantly evolving museum.