PART Museum Opens in Rimini with San Patrignano Collection

The new PART (Palazzi dell'Arte Rimini) contemporary art museum has opened in the historic center of Rimini, housed in the medieval Palazzo dell'Arengo and Palazzo del Podestà on Piazza Cavour. The museum displays 62 works from the Fondazione San Patrignano collection, built through an endowment model where donated artworks must be held for at least five years before possible sale to fund addiction treatment. The project was spearheaded by Letizia Moratti and Gian Marco Moratti, conceived in 2017. Restoration and installation cost €3.2 million, covering 1,770 square meters. The collection includes works by David Tremlett (who created a site-specific mural with San Patrignano residents), Igor Mitoraj, Vanessa Beecroft, Francesco Vezzoli, and Ettore Spalletti, unified by the theme of 'gift.' The 14th-century fresco 'Giudizio Universale' by Giovanni da Rimini (c. 1310) is installed in the Arengo hall. Curatorial coordination is by Clarice Pecori Giraldi, with architecture by Luca Cipelletti. Future plans include connecting to the nearby Teatro Galli, using the garden as open space, and forming a steering committee chaired by Pecori Giraldi. The Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage has allocated €1.5 million through the 'Grandi Progetti Beni Culturali' strategic plan. The museum aims to counter stereotypes of Rimini as solely a beach resort, building on the city's cultural regeneration since the Biennale del Disegno began in 2014.