Tosio Martinengo Art Gallery

The collection of the Tosio Martinengo Art Gallery was formed between the 19th and 20th centuries thanks to the generosity of private citizens who donated their collections and to the care with which the City Council gathered and preserved artworks and historical memories that have shaped the city’s identity over time.

Completely renovated in 2018, the Art Gallery welcomes visitors in the elegant Palazzo Martinengo da Barco with a precious and carefully selected art collection. The exhibition path begins in the 14th century with internationally renowned masterpieces such as The Angel and The Redeemer by Raphael and the Adoration of the Shepherds by Lorenzo Lotto, then reaches the heart of the collection: the Brescian Renaissance painting of Moretto, Romanino and Savoldo. Here emerges a peculiar attention to reality, which carries on through to the deeply human era of the “pitocchi” by Giacomo Ceruti. The journey concludes with the 19th century of Canova and Hayez.

The Art Gallery regularly hosts temporary art exhibitions and extraordinary loans.

The Art Gallery is part of the Rete dell’800 Lombardo, a network founded in 2004 and re-established in 2019 with the support of the Lombardy Region, comprising twenty-four important institutions united by their 19th-century artistic and cultural heritage in Lombardy.

Why visit the Tosio Martinengo Art Gallery

• Immerse yourself in the dazzling colours of rooms clad in elegant velvets and decorated with refined frescoes.
• Find as many as two paintings by Raphael: the Angel and the Blessing Christ the Redeemer.
• Encounter Lotto, Canova and Hayez, and also discover the painters of the extraordinary Brescian Renaissance: Moretto, Romanino and Savoldo.
• Discover a rare and precious painter such as Giacomo Ceruti, known as the Pitocchetto, capable of placing humble people at the centre of his works.
• Admire an outstanding collection of Murano glass alongside ivory sculptures, goldsmithery, ceramics and precious objects.

Tips for your visit

• Museums Ticket: one entry to each museum in Brescia’s civic museum system (Santa Giulia, Tosio Martinengo Art Gallery, Museum of the Risorgimento, Luigi Marzoli Arms Museum).
• Accessibility: fully accessible for those with mobility disabilities.
• Virtual Tour: explore the Art Gallery in 360° directly from home.
• EasyGuide: free multimedia guide (also in LIS — Italian Sign Language).

The Tosio Martinengo Art Gallery and the area around Brescia

The Art Gallery is located in the heart of the city, in the western hinterland of Lake Garda. Easily reachable by car and well connected by the public transport network.

Other attractions in the area: Brixia. Roman Archaeological Park of Brescia, Santa Giulia Museum, Luigi Marzoli Arms Museum, Museum of the Risorgimento: The Lioness of Italy.

Photos: ©Photographic Archive of the Civic Museums of Brescia