HangarBicocca

Pirelli HangarBicocca is a contemporary art exhibition space located in the Bicocca district of Milan, Italy. Established in 2004, the institution occupies a former industrial complex that has been transformed into a major venue for modern and contemporary art. It is widely recognized for its large-scale exhibitions and site-specific installations by prominent international artists, distinguishing itself as one of the most important exhibition spaces for contemporary art in Italy.

The site's origins trace back to the Società Italiana Ernesto Breda, a historic Lombard engineering company founded in 1886 by engineer Ernesto Breda. The company contributed to the development of the Northern Italian railway network through the production of railway carriages, steam locomotives, and electric locomotives, with industrial operations in the Bicocca neighborhood beginning in 1903. Production gradually declined, leading to abandonment between 1980 and 1986, when an urban renewal project was initiated. In 2004, the industrial area, then owned by AnsaldoBreda and used for locomotive assembly, was acquired by Pirelli RealEstate (later Prelios) and converted into a contemporary art space. HangarBicocca officially became a foundation in 2008 following the restoration of the former factory premises.

The institution focuses on modern and contemporary art, emphasizing large-scale, immersive, and site-specific installations. Its programming encompasses both permanent and temporary exhibitions, often inviting artists to create works that directly engage with the building's industrial architecture. The exhibition history includes solo presentations by artists such as Marina Abramović, Carsten Höller, Alfredo Jaar, Joan Jonas, Mike Kelley, Matt Mullican, Philippe Parreno, Laure Prouvost, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Maurizio Cattelan, Lucio Fontana, and Bruce Nauman, alongside group exhibitions like Terre vulnerabili and Architecture as Art.

The foundation's most significant permanent holding is Anselm Kiefer's monumental site-specific installation The Seven Heavenly Palaces, created in 2004 for the opening of the exhibition space and later expanded in September 2015 with the addition of five large canvases. Another permanent work is La Sequenza, a 1981 sculpture by Milanese sculptor Fausto Melotti situated in the garden outside the entrance, a space created by demolishing former depots and sheds in 2000.

The building retains the industrial character of its original function, preserving original rough concrete floors and high ceilings. The nearly 15,000 square meters of exhibition space is divided into three main architectural areas. The Shed, built in the 1920s with exposed brick, double-pitched roofs, and large skylights, originally manufactured locomotives and agricultural machinery. The Navate, dating to the 1960s and formerly used as a transformer department, is the largest area, featuring a 30-meter-high space that houses the Kiefer installation, where tracks used to test locomotives remain visible. The Cube is a barrel-vaulted cubic body used historically to test electric turbines, making it uniquely lit by natural light among the complex's exhibition spaces.

Pirelli HangarBicocca is located in the Bicocca district of Milan, Italy. The institution operates as a foundation, continuing its role as a public exhibition venue for contemporary art. Visitors access the exhibition spaces by first entering through the Shed, proceeding into the Navate, and concluding in the Cube. Further details regarding ownership and access are available via its official website.