Imago Museum, Modern art museum in central Pescara, Italy
Imago Museum occupies the former Banco di Napoli palazzo in Pescara, a three-level rationalist building designed by engineer Camillo Guerra and completed in 1933. Its roughly 1,200 square metres hold 119 Scandinavian paintings from the Civita d'Antino school of Kristian Zahrtmann and 131 figurative works donated by Alfonso and Teresita Paglione. The facades have double-arched window surrounds and no ornament, a break from the Art Nouveau then common in the city.
The building was erected in 1933 to a design by engineer Camillo Guerra as the Pescara headquarters of the Banco di Napoli, a rationalist structure with a rectangular plan. The Pescarabruzzo Foundation, heir to the Banca Caripe, acquired it in 2013. The museum opened in February 2021 and was officially inaugurated on 28 September 2021 in the presence of President Sergio Mattarella.
The museum displays a notable collection of Scandinavian paintings that stand out within the Italian museum scene. Visitors can observe how Nordic artists of the early 20th century approached light, color, and everyday subjects in ways that differ from their Italian contemporaries.
The museum is in central Pescara and easy to reach on foot from most parts of the city center. Since the exhibition spans several floors, it is worth setting aside enough time to move through the whole building without rushing.
For an Italian museum, holding a dedicated collection of Scandinavian paintings from the early 20th century is highly unusual, and this is one of the few places in the country where such works can be seen together. The Nordic pieces were brought in through targeted acquisitions and form a distinct part of the overall collection.
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