MAXXI - Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI secolo

The idea of endowing Rome with a national museum dedicated to contemporary arts took shape in 1997 when the then Ministry of Cultural Heritage obtained from the Ministry of Defense a large area in the Flaminio district, first occupied by workshops and pavilions of the former Caserma Montello.

In 1998, an international competition was held. It included a complex functional plan, with the presence of various structures such as a museum for architecture and one for the arts of the 21st century, a space for experimental productions, a library, an auditorium, as well as places for live events and teaching.

The winner was the Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. Her project prevailed over the 273 designs from all over the world. Her proposal, extended over an area of 29 thousand square meters, with a large open square in the center, convinced the jury for its ability to integrate into the urban fabric and for the innovative architectural solution, capable of interpreting the potential of the new institution and equipping it with an extraordinary sequence of public spaces.

Inaugurated in 2010, the MAXXI, National Museum of Arts of the 21st century, and the first national museum dedicated to contemporary arts and architecture, produces and hosts art and architecture exhibitions, design projects, photography, fashion, film festivals, theatre, and dance performances.

The MAXXI collections are exhibited in rotation with temporary exhibitions, while the installations of Anish Kapoor, Sol Lewitt, and Maurizio Mochetti are always visible.