Within the fully restored rooms of a medieval palace, a new museum has been created to house one of the world’s most remarkable collections of contemporary art. Palazzo della Ragione in Mantua is now home to the Sonnabend Collection Mantova, telling the story of a century through the eyes of Ileana Sonnabend, the gallerist and collector who forged a bridge between America and Europe, permanently reshaping the geography of the art world.

With the opening of the Sonnabend Collection Mantova, the Renaissance city welcomes an international museum that brings together the story of a woman who revolutionised the art world and that of a place which, from the fifteenth century to the present day, has remained a vital centre of European culture. The project is the result of a collaboration between the Municipality of Mantua, the Sonnabend Collection Foundation, and Marsilio Arte, with the aim of making one of the most important private collections of the twentieth century accessible to the public, offering an extraordinary overview of international art from the 1950s to the early 2000s.

Built over a lifetime by Ileana Sonnabend (1914–2007), together with her husband Michael Sonnabend (1900–2001) and their adopted son Antonio Homem, the collection bears witness to the experimentation that shaped visual culture from the mid-twentieth century onwards, outlining a true map of contemporary creativity. Through the Sonnabend galleries in Paris and New York, Ileana anticipated and promoted the artistic movements that would redefine the collective imagination: from the experimental language of Neo-Dada to the iconic power of Pop Art, from the rigorous structures of Minimalism to the poetic explorations of Conceptual Art, as well as the visionary languages of Italian Arte Povera and the development of contemporary photography.

Alongside the permanent collection, the museum presents a programme of temporary exhibitions devoted to some of the most significant artists and movements represented in the collection. The opening of the Sonnabend Collection Mantova was accompanied by a presentation of Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests, the celebrated filmed portraits that capture the atmosphere of New York’s cultural scene in the 1960s. In the autumn, the programme will continue with a solo exhibition dedicated to Gilbert & George, offering a new opportunity to explore the work of two key figures in international contemporary art.

Palazzo della Ragione, Piazza Erbe, 18, 46100 Mantua, MN