Civica Pinacoteca Il Guercino

Damage is immediately evident, and not only structurally but also culturally: the city of Cento is in fact deprived of the space that houses the most famous works by Guercino, a world-famous painter from Cento, whose art tells the story of the area and its locals. A long process for the restoration of the building is put into place, the building remains inaccessible for almost ten years until the summer of 2021 when work is started to return the museum to the city.

The main structural interventions entailed the overall restoration and consolidation of the earthquake damage and a general seismic improvement of the building. In addition, the project includes alterations to the building to ensure accessibility measures within the entire complex, with the objective to comply with all legislation and make it fully accessible, and also with respect to in interior installations. All the systems were redesigned to achieve optimal energy efficiency. Fire prevention measures were increased to expand designated fire compartmentation in accordance with the museum function of the complex.

The new institution will be an integral element of the cultural territory: physical and digital installations prove to be fundamental elements of the narrative to support the historical and artistic heritage. Today the new museum, thanks to the synergy of the curatorial team of the Office of Culture and the design team at Open Project, host Guercino, his pupils and artworks from Cento from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century. Within the exhibition course, the history of the city of Guercino and his school are intertwined in a single narrative that accompanies the visitor through the rooms of the two-storey museum where the prevailing color is the painter’s blue.

The sobriety of the historical building is evoked in the design of the exhibition display stands and bases. The niches for the frescos recall their original locations and the exhibition walls rise up to reach the base of the existing vaults, leaving the geometry of the rooms and perception of the spaces intact. Steel is the only contrasting element, delimiting the exhibition rooms, wrapping door frames and other supports, and thus marking the material rhythm of the museum.

A digital presence is discrete and constant: two immersive spaces at the entrance of the first floor and one at the second floor, mark the main themes of the museum narrative and with NFC tags, visitors will be able to access additional content (stories, descriptions, and anecdotes) in audio or visual formats.