Thanks to the unique purpose that brought together the Elena and Claudio Cerasi Foundation and CoopCulture, the monumental Palazzo Merulana has returned to shine after a massive reconstruction that took more than 5 years to be completed. With the opening in May 2018, the former Health Department situated at Via Merulana 121, in the central Esquilino district, a stone’s throw from Termini Station found a new dignity, becoming once again a focal point for Rome and its citizens after having been abandoned for a long time.
The Elena and Claudio Cerasi Foundation, founded in 2014, holds a fine modern and contemporary art collection, mainly built on the works of Roman and Italian artists from the first half of the 20th Century. While CoopCulture is a cooperative operating in the heritage and cultural activities sector, leader in the management of museums and archaeological parks on a national level. The two institutions gave life to the Palazzo Merulana project creating an original, unprecedented, passionate collection that is a gift for the city, and which exhibits more than 90 works, on a surface of 1800 square meters, on four floors.
On the first floor, in the ‘Sculpture Room,’ it is possible to admire sculptures by Antonietta Raphael, Lucio Fontana, Pericle Fazzini, Giuseppe Penone, and many other artists. Here, the peaceful atmosphere, conveyed also by the lovely urban garden, allows a peculiar and unconventional intimacy with the works. ‘The ‘Hall‘, on the second floor, hosts most of the permanent exhibition of Palazzo Merulana, which includes works by De Chirico, Balla, Donghi, Capogrossi, Casorati, Pirandello, Severini, Cambellotti, and Fabre to name a few. On the third floor, the ‘Gallery‘ presents works by Boetti, Schifano, and Pirandello, among others and it will host various temporary exhibitions. On the ‘Top Floor‘, there is an area dedicated to cultural activities as well as food and wine events.
Ilona Catani Scarlett