Pirelli Hangar Bicocca
Pirelli HangarBicocca is a non-profit foundation dedicated to the production and promotion of contemporary art, established and supported by Pirelli.
Founded in 2004, Pirelli HangarBicocca is today a leading institution for the international art community, the public, and local area. A free, accessible and open museum space, it is a place of experimentation, research and dissemination, where art becomes a point of reflection on the most topical issues in contemporary culture and society.
The exhibition area comprises the Shed and Navate spaces, which host temporary exhibitions, as well as Anselm Kiefer’s permanent installation The Seven Heavenly Palaces 2004-2015 — a monumental work consisting of seven concrete towers that has become an emblematic artwork of the city of Milan.
Founded in 2004, Pirelli HangarBicocca is today a leading institution for the international art community, the public, and local area. A free, accessible and open museum space, it is a place of experimentation, research and dissemination, where art becomes a point of reflection on the most topical issues in contemporary culture and society.
The exhibition area comprises the Shed and Navate spaces, which host temporary exhibitions, as well as Anselm Kiefer’s permanent installation The Seven Heavenly Palaces 2004-2015 — a monumental work consisting of seven concrete towers that has become an emblematic artwork of the city of Milan.
22
years of experimentation and
research in contemporary art
research in contemporary art
77
site-specific
temporary exhibitions
temporary exhibitions
+110
artworks commissioned and
produced by artists
produced by artists
Steve McQueen Sunshine State, 2022 Installation view at Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan, 2022 A Commission for International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) 2022 © Steve McQueen. Courtesy the artist, Thomas Dane Gallery, Marian Goodman Gallery and Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan Photo Agostino Osio
A Pirelli project in support of culture and art
The Pirelli HangarBicocca Foundation is supported and promoted by Pirelli, its Founding Partner, and was established in continuity with Pirelli’s corporate culture, which has always been committed to fostering innovation through research into contemporary artistic languages — capable of offering ever-new perspectives on the major issues of our time.
Pirelli HangarBicocca represents one of Pirelli’s most ambitious cultural projects, providing the employees and the whole community, entirely free of charge, with a program of museum exhibitions accompanied by a calendar of talks, cultural events and educational activities that engage a wide and diverse audience: international, national and local. The museum’s mission is indeed to make art open and accessible to everyone.
The ongoing research, publishing and in-depth studies carried out by the institution make a significant contribution to the contemporary cultural debate, also through production and publication of exhibition catalogues which are distributed internationally.
Visit the site Pirelli HangarBicocca represents one of Pirelli’s most ambitious cultural projects, providing the employees and the whole community, entirely free of charge, with a program of museum exhibitions accompanied by a calendar of talks, cultural events and educational activities that engage a wide and diverse audience: international, national and local. The museum’s mission is indeed to make art open and accessible to everyone.
The ongoing research, publishing and in-depth studies carried out by the institution make a significant contribution to the contemporary cultural debate, also through production and publication of exhibition catalogues which are distributed internationally.
Lucio Fontana, Fonti di energia, soffitto al neon per “Italia 61”, a Torino, 1961/2017, installation view at Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan, 2017. Courtesy Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan. ©Fondazione Lucio Fontana Photo: Agostino Osio
Contemporary art exhibitions
Pirelli HangarBicocca’s artistic program is distinguished by its presentation of solo exhibitions by established and emerging international artists, invited to conceive — in dialogue with the curators and with the industrial nature of the architecture — shows that combine existing works with new productions, capable of revealing previously unseen aspects of their practice. Over the years, Pirelli HangarBicocca has built relationships with major international institutions in the field of contemporary art through collaborations in the production and circulation of exhibitions, artworks and publications.
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eL Seed Waves Only Exist Because the Wind Blows, 2024 Courtesy eL Seed and Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan, 2024 © 2026 eL Seed / SIAE Photo Lorenzo Palmieri
The history of the building
Housed in a former industrial building that once served as a factory for the construction of locomotives, Pirelli HangarBicocca is one of the largest single-storey exhibition spaces in Europe. The history of the building which houses Pirelli HangarBicocca is closely linked to that of the “Società Italiana Ernesto Breda”, a company founded in 1886 that operated in the metalworking sector, producing railway carriages and both steam and electric locomotives.
Pirelli HangarBicocca — together with the University of Milan-Bicocca, the Teatro degli Arcimboldi, the Pirelli Foundation and Pirelli’s technological research centre — has contributed to transforming the area from an industrial district into a dynamic neighbourhood where culture and innovation meet.
Visit the site Pirelli HangarBicocca — together with the University of Milan-Bicocca, the Teatro degli Arcimboldi, the Pirelli Foundation and Pirelli’s technological research centre — has contributed to transforming the area from an industrial district into a dynamic neighbourhood where culture and innovation meet.
Patrick Tuttofuoco, Eon, 2022. Pirelli trophy for the 2022 FORMULA 1 ITALIAN GRAN PRIX. Courtesy Pirelli and Pirelli HangarBicocca. Photo Lorenzo Palmieri
Connection between art and F1: artists design the trophies
Thanks to the collaboration between Pirelli and Pirelli HangarBicocca, since 2021 the creation of the trophies raised on the F1 podium is entrusted to an Italian artist, transferring contemporary expression from the traditional artistic circuits to those of Formula 1. The first commission was given to the artist Alice Ronchi, followed by Patrick Tuttofuoco in 2022, Ruth Beraha in 2023 Andrea Sala in 2024 and Nico Vascellari in 2025.
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EXHIBITION
Yuko Mohri
Yuko Mohri
Entanglements
EXHIBITION
Nan Goldin
Nan Goldin
This Will Not End Well
PERMANENT INSTALLATION
Anselm Kiefer
Anselm Kiefer
The Seven Heavenly Palaces 2004-2015
PERMANENT INSTALLATION
EL Seed
EL Seed
Waves Only Exist Because the Wind Blows
PERMANENT INSTALLATION
Fausto Melotti
Fausto Melotti
La Sequenza
PUBLIC PROGRAM
Yuko Mohri
PUBLIC PROGRAM
Yukinori Yanagi
PUBLIC PROGRAM
