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Casa degli artisti
★ 4.0(1 review)Museum
historicinterdisciplinarycreative
About the Vibe
Casa degli Artisti is one of Milan's most historically charged cultural spaces — founded in 1909 by the Bogani brothers to host artist ateliers, it's been a workshop, a meeting point, and a flashpoint for the city's avant-garde ever since. After years of closure and a careful restoration, it reopened as Italy's only public artist residency, programming interdisciplinary exhibitions, performances, and residencies that keep the building's scrappy, working-studio spirit alive. You'll find it tucked at the corner of Corso Garibaldi and Via Tommaso da Cazzaniga, just steps from Moscova — a quiet landmark in a neighborhood that doesn't shout about its history.
Why it's worth it
Italy's only public artist residency, in a 1909 atelier building where Luciano Fabro once worked — go for the experimental programming, not a permanent collection.
Highlights
artist residencyinterdisciplinaryhistoric buildingBrera Design Week
Before you go
Check the current programme on their website before heading over — exhibitions and events rotate with residencies, so there's no permanent collection to fall back on.
Known For
- •artist residency program
- •interdisciplinary exhibitions
- •historic atelier building (1909)
- •De Chirico's Mysterious Baths restoration
Best For
contemporary art loversquiet afternoon explorationdesign week events
1 review
City InsidersEditorialJuly 8, 2026
Milan's living artist residency — raw, historic, and quietly radical
Casa degli Artisti isn't your typical museum — it's a living, breathing artist residency that happens to open its doors to the public. Founded in 1909 and reopened after a long closure, it's the only public residency of its kind in Italy, and you can feel that mission in every corner. The programming spans visual art, performance, sound, cinema, and literature, so what you see on any given visit might be completely different from what someone else experienced a month earlier. That's the point. This is a place where artists are actually working, experimenting, and showing in-progress ideas, not just hanging finished pieces on white walls.
The building itself carries enormous weight in Milan's art history. Luciano Fabro, Hidetoshi Nagasawa, and Jole De Sanna all shaped its identity in the late 1970s, and the 1994 restoration of De Chirico's Mysterious Baths nearby is part of its story. After being evacuated in 2007 for structural repairs, it came back as something more ambitious — a public centre for research and production with an interdisciplinary, international outlook. The vibe is refreshingly unpolished compared to Milan's bigger institutions; you get the sense that the art comes first and the branding comes second.
Check their programme before you go, because the space runs on residencies and temporary exhibitions rather than a permanent collection. If you're in town during Brera Design Week or the Milano Film Fest, Casa degli Artisti often hosts some of the most interesting satellite events — less crowded, more experimental, and genuinely worth the detour from the main drag.
Lire en français
Casa degli Artisti n'est pas un musée au sens classique — c'est une résidence d'artistes vivante qui ouvre ses portes au public. Fondée en 1909 et rouverte après une longue fermeture, c'est la seule résidence publique de ce type en Italie, et ça se ressent dans chaque recoin du bâtiment. La programmation couvre les arts visuels, la performance, le son, le cinéma et la littérature, donc ce que vous verrez lors d'une visite peut être totalement différent de ce qu'on a vu un mois plus tôt. C'est exactement le principe : ici, les artistes travaillent, expérimentent et présentent des projets en cours.
Le bâtiment porte un poids énorme dans l'histoire de l'art milanais. Luciano Fabro, Hidetoshi Nagasawa et Jole De Sanna ont façonné son identité à la fin des années 1970, et la restauration des Bains Mystérieux de De Chirico en 1994 fait partie de son histoire. Après avoir été évacuée en 2007 pour des raisons structurelles, la Casa est revenue avec une ambition plus grande — un centre public de recherche et de production avec une perspective interdisciplinaire et internationale. L'ambiance est rafraîchissamment brute comparée aux grandes institutions milanaises : on sent que l'art passe avant tout.
Consultez le programme avant de vous y rendre, car l'espace fonctionne en résidences et expositions temporaires plutôt qu'en collection permanente. Si vous êtes en ville pendant la Brera Design Week ou le Milano Film Fest, Casa degli Artisti accueille souvent certains des événements satellites les plus intéressants — moins bondés, plus expérimentaux, et vraiment dignes du détour.