Castello di Rivoli

Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea is one of Italy’s leading institutions for contemporary art. It opened in 1984 in Rivoli, near Turin, inside an unfinished Savoy residence overlooking the city and the surrounding landscape.

The museum was the first in Italy to focus entirely on contemporary art. From the beginning, it developed an international programme while keeping a close connection with Italian artistic research. Its history is strongly linked to Arte Povera, but its exhibitions and collection extend far beyond a single movement.

Contemporary art inside a historic building

At Castello di Rivoli, the building is never just a background. Its large rooms, unfinished surfaces and changing light affect the way artworks are seen. Past and present remain in constant tension.

The residence was redesigned in the eighteenth century by Filippo Juvarra, but the project was never completed. This unfinished character has become part of the museum’s identity. Instead of hiding the building’s gaps and interruptions, the museum uses them as an active part of the exhibition experience.

Many artists have responded directly to these spaces. Some have produced works for specific rooms, while others have changed their projects after encountering the architecture. As a result, an exhibition at Castello di Rivoli often develops through a close exchange between the artwork, the curator and the building.

The collection of Castello di Rivoli

The museum’s collection follows major developments in Italian and international art from the mid-1960s to the present. It includes important works connected to Arte Povera, Transavanguardia, Minimal Art, Body Art and Land Art, together with more recent artistic practices.

Artists such as Giovanni Anselmo, Alighiero Boetti, Luciano Fabro, Jannis Kounellis, Marisa Merz, Mario Merz, Michelangelo Pistoletto and Gilberto Zorio have a central place in the museum’s history. Their work appears alongside that of artists from different generations and geographical contexts.

The collection is not presented as a fixed historical account. Works return in new arrangements and enter into different conversations. Each display can therefore change the way a familiar artwork is read.

Exhibitions, research and the Manica Lunga

Castello di Rivoli hosts solo exhibitions, historical surveys and projects created specifically for the museum. Its programme brings together established figures and artists whose work opens new political, social or formal questions.

The Manica Lunga, once used as a picture gallery by the House of Savoy, is one of the museum’s most distinctive spaces. Its exceptional length allows artists to work on a scale that would be difficult elsewhere. Installations can unfold as environments, paths or sequences that visitors experience while walking.

The museum also supports research, education, publishing, conservation and public discussion. Talks, performances, screenings and collaborations with other cultural institutions extend its work beyond the traditional exhibition format.