Palazzo Reali Opens as New Masi Venue in Lugano

The Museo Cantonale di Lugano has reopened after two years of renovation, rebranded as Palazzo Reali and now serving as the second venue of Masi (Museo d'arte della Svizzera italiana), alongside the Lac spaces. The 17th-century exterior remains intact, and traces of the 1980s renovation are preserved. Architect Piero Conconi rationalized the interior and added windows and display cases to open the galleries to the street, creating a more spacious feel. The inaugural exhibition presents works from the unified collection of the Canton and City of Lugano, spanning from ancient art to the mid-20th century. The ground floor features a site-specific intervention by Niele Toroni, Vincenzo Vela's Spartaco (previously in the town hall courtyard), a painting by young Marco Scorti, and a 14th–15th-century wooden Deposition. Upper floors are organized thematically: portrait painting including a female face by Angelika Kauffmann, Symbolism by Ferdinand Hodler and Gaetano Previati, landscape by Umberto Boccioni and Luigi Franzoni, Expressionism with works by Hermann Scherer and Paul Neuhaus, a focus on Hans Richter, historical experimental photography by Lux Feininger and Florence Henri, and ancient art including a Giampietrino. Felice Varini's mural on the stairs is now fully visible.