Bologna has a thriving cultural life, and one of its centerpieces is Mambo (Museo Art Moderna di Bologna), a wonderful art museum with temporary and permanent exhbitions, situated in Via Don Giovanni Minzoni 14, between the city centre and the train station.
A lot of thought has gone in to the Museum, which was formerly housed in Piazza della Costituzione, in the City’s trade fair zone (the Fiera district). A conscious effort has been made to use culture to rejuvenate a whole area of the city that was once devoted to industry. In fact, behind Mambo you’ll find a quiet and pretty park that links it up to the area where the city’s famous Cineteca film studies, cinema, library and archives are all based. It’s fast becoming a bohemian centre of an already bohemian town.
Mambo often has world-class temporary exhibitions, but is also worth visiting for its permanent collection, which includes works by artists like Marina Abramovic e Ulay, Gina Pane, Hermann Nitsch, Luigi Ontani, Gianni Colombo, Enrico Castellani, Bridget Riley, Giovanni Korompay, Antoni Tàpies and many more.
The permanent collection is broken up into thematic collections: Art and Ideology, 1977 Art and Action, 1968 I new perspectives, 1968 II Arte Povera, Forma I, The Informal, Arcangeli (from the famous curator Francesco Arcangeli), Focus on Contemporary Italian Art, and new acquisitions.
Mambo plays host to Bologna’s Morandi Museum – dedicated to the works of Giorgio Morandi, the Bolognese painter renowned in particular for his still life paintings.
Both Mambo and the Museo Morandi play host to world-class temporary shows, so it’s always worth checking out either the Mambo site, or the Main Bologna tourism website to check out what shows are on. These range from major retrospectives of international artists, through to themed shows, and work dedicated to emerging international artists.
For full details of opening hours and tickets you should visit the Musuem’s website here.
As a general guide, at the time of writing:
Opening Hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: h 12.00 – 18.00
Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays: h 12.00 – 20.00
Closed on Monday
Ticket Prices
temporary shows and permanent collection:
Full Price € 6,00
reduced € 4,00
Mambo has, as befits a world-class gallery, a trendy bar and bistrot which is an ideal place to hang out for lunch, dinner or just an apperitivo. The space is a design treat, and has different and longer opening hours than the museum.