palazzi dell’arte rimini art museum opens within restored medieval complex by luca cipelletti

a new museum site that combines the redevelopment of two historic buildings with a permanent location for an eclectic collection of artworks has opened in the heart of rimini, italy. PART — palazzi dell’arte rimini is located within the monumental medieval complex comprising the 13th-century palazzo dell’arengo and 14th-century palazzo del podestà — two imposing buildings of great historical and architectural importance. within this context, the prestigious collection of the san patrignano foundation finds a new home.

the restoration of the site has been carried out by AR.CH.IT, led by luca cipelletti, who also designed the exhibition staging of the san patrignano collection. the project traces the eclectic nature of the collection and proposes an extremely free use of the content by avoiding the rigidity of preordained curatorial constraints. 

all images © henrik blomqvist

the main planning challenge for this new architectural and museographic project was building a relationship between the precious historical site and the contemporary art collection. cipelletti and his team at AR.CH.IT saw this as an opportunity to express a synthesis between linguistic-functional contemporaneity, and historical-cultural valorization. the two existing palaces, home to public administration for many centuries, were in a state of decay due to a process of ‘normalization’ and use, which had obscured the interior architectural elements. therefore, the initial aim in terms of architectural reappraisal was to reacquire the monumental perception of the medieval buildings and avoid faux-historicisms, painstakingly bringing the original decorative elements back to light.

the works earmarked to be presented at PART — palazzi dell’arte rimini belong to the collezione fondazione san patrignano. the donations, which come from collectors, gallerists and artists, follow no preordained curatorial overview but that of being ‘contemporary’. what might appear as an apparent limit was instead interpreted as a further opportunity. greater space was given to reversibility, to the perception of the architecture, and to a freeform positioning of the works in such a way that they might engage more with the space than between one another. the exhibition layout therefore alters on the basis of the specific architectural setting, where dimension, position and materials are variable and adaptable, and draw from the proportions and character of the site.

on the ground floor, the inclusion of two interfacing areas –- a ticket office and a cafeteria — responds to the desire to make the building accessible, permeable, and an integrated part of the surrounding urban fabric. so as not to alter the equilibrium of the ancient building, any new elements were made clear in the spaces where it was necessary to form separate environments. free-standing dividers and walls plastered with lime in the shades of the pre-existing surfaces allow functions to be carried out between the gaps in them, exploiting empty space.

the museum itinerary continues in the two rooms of the podestà, which are entirely dedicated to the display of artworks. the bases, like the floors, were produced using san marino stone, a local material already found in numerous original details. although the stone is no longer extracted, a number of quarry blocks were found. the stone was laid in such a way as to underline the architectonic relationships and perspectival axes.

on the upper floor, in the sala dell’arengo, the display revolves around the dividing wall which hosts the major fresco of ‘the last judgement’ by giovanni da rimini. placed diagonally at the center of the space, the positioning of the dividing wall allows for a circulation that highlights the perception of the room and the works. upon entering, visitors have an initial impact of the space in its entirety — a large void, in which a dividing wall is perceived end-on as a blade that leads towards the natural light of the mullioned windows. step after step, the full size of the detached fresco is revealed. this configuration splits the room into two sections: one on the side of the mullioned windows, bright and functional in displaying sculptures; the other, more closed and suited to photographic works and canvases, which generally call for softer lighting.

the floor was replaced entirely with oak parquet — the same material used for the support of the dividing wall hosting the large central display. reminiscent of the decking on the first floor of historical palaces, the material engages with the sequence of wooden palladian trusses, and ties together the whole architectural volume. meanwhile, the replacement of the window frames, which proved particularly complex, was resolved by using a high-performance minimal profile with a bronze effect, redesigning the geometries of the mullioned windows.

developed in collaboration with architect and museum lighting expert alberto pasetti bombardella, the lighting responds couples the display function with the interpretation of the architectural space through the use of overhead cables. the lighting module, known as ‘arengo’ and developed and produced by specialized artisans, offers diverse lighting options that be customized in different shades of white and various colors. the composition of the module, in its linear form, may reach 32 meters (104 feet) in length — as in the case of the salone dell’arengo — making it the largest ‘lamp’ ever created in the museum sector.

PART — palazzi dell’arte rimini opens on september 24, 2020 — starting from 5PM on opening day and for the entire weekend from 9AM to midnight, PART is open free of charge to the public for guided tours by appointment.

project info: 

museum: PART — palazzi dell’arte rimini
location: rimini, italy
year: 2020
type: architecture, museum
architect: AR.CH.IT / luca cipelletti
lighting: alberto pasetti bombardella
client: comune di rimini, fondazione san patrignano