Mario Botta to Complete Rome's Galleria Nazionale Ala Cosenza After 50 Years

After five decades of delays, the Ala Cosenza wing of Rome's Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (GNAMC) is finally being completed. The €15 million project, funded by the Fondo per lo Sviluppo e la Coesione 2014-2020 and other sources, is led by Swiss architect Mario Botta. Originally conceived in the 1960s by then-director Palma Bucarelli, the expansion was designed by Luigi Cosenza in the 1970s but stalled after his death in 1984. The wing was partially used from 1988 but closed in 1998 due to structural issues. After a 1998 competition won by Diener&Diener (later revised), works finally began in 2024. Botta's plan preserves Cosenza's original volumes, adding a study center, library, flexible auditorium, and improved connections to the historic building. The project includes seismic retrofitting, completion of the auditorium, and a new green space. No completion date has been announced.