Also called Pinacoteca Brera by the locals, the gallery is the place to admire one of the greatest collections of Italian paintings in the world. The artworks exhibited here range from renaissance to modern art and include works of masters such as Raphael, Caravaggio or the Bellini brothers. Most of the art here is of religious nature.
The Gallery resides in Palazzo Brera, a Baroque palace, built over what remained of a Jesuit monastery that occupied the place before. It was only officially repurposed as an art gallery much later, in 1809. Its purpose was to help the art students from Accademia di Belle Arti, established only about 25 years prior, learn more about how to create art by studying the masterpieces of other artists.
Today, the gallery boasts a huge collection of these masterpieces. This is mainly thanks to Napoleon, who desired to make it an equivalent to the French Louvre and therefore sent all the paintings he confiscated from all over here.
Despite its fame, the gallery isn’t usually that crowded. If you come during winter time, you can expect to enjoy the paintings in peace and quiet.
1st and 3rd Thu of the month: 8:30 am - 10:15 pm
The ticket office closes 35 min before closing.
Closed on Mondays, Jan 1, May 1 and Dec 25.
Adults: €12
Concessions: €8
Free admission every first Sunday of the month (unless there is an exhibition requiring a separate ticket).
Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinacoteca_di_Brera
Official Website https://pinacotecabrera.org/
Twitter https://twitter.com/museobrera
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PinacotecadiBrera
Email pin-br@beniculturali.it
Phone +39 02 722631
Address Via Brera 28, 20121 Milano, Italy
Coordinates 45°28'20.072" N 9°11'18.266" E