Albin Q.
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Palazzo Bianco is part of a trio of palaces, alongside Palazzo Rosso and Palazzo Doria-Tursi, which can be visited as part of the Musei di Strada Nuova. A combined admission ticket to the Musei di Strada Nuova costs 9e. There was no long line at the ticket office. I recommend starting your tour from this castle. Palazzo Bianco, also known as Palazzo di Luca Grimaldi, was built between 1530 and 1540 by the Grimaldi family, one of Genoa's influential aristocratic families. In 1658, it passed into the hands of the De Franchi family and then, in 1711, sold to the Brignole-Sale family. In 1884, the palace was donated to the city of Genoa. It was converted into a museum—the so-called pinacoteca—and opened to the public in 1892 as the municipal museum. After World War II, significant renovations were carried out. In 1950, it reopened after renovations and a reorganization of the exhibition space, designed by architect Franco Albini, who gave the exhibition layout a more modern, transparent character.
The palace is located on Via Garibaldi (formerly Strada Nuova)—one of Genoa's most prestigious streets, home to several aristocratic palaces ("Palazzi dei Rolli"), designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The building was built in the Renaissance style: a typical Genoese aristocratic urban palace, with an internal courtyard, a richly decorated interior, and ceremonial halls. After being handed over to the city and converted into a museum, the interiors were adapted to exhibition needs—the halls were transformed, and some of the decorations were restored. Albini's layout (1950) is considered exemplary for municipal museums, with a clearly planned visitor route and selection of works.
The Palazzo Bianco is Liguria's main art gallery, boasting a rich collection of paintings from the 16th to 18th centuries, with a strong Genoese presence and numerous works from northern Europe.
Main artistic movements represented:
- Genoese painting schools: including Luca Cambiaso, Bernardo Strozzi, Valerio Castello, Domenico Piola, Gregorio De Ferrari, and Alessandro Magnasco; artists who worked in or were associated with Genoa.
- Italian schools from outside Genoa: Filippino Lippi, Paolo Veronese, Caravaggio, Procaccini.
- Flemish and Dutch painting: Hans Memling, Gerard David, Rubens, Van Dyck; also artists less known but important in the context of artistic exchange between Liguria and northern Europe.
- Spanish art: Francisco de Zurbarán, Murillo.
Selected works:
- Ecce Homo by Caravaggio: one of the gallery's most famous paintings.
- Polyptych of the Cervara by Gerard David.
- "Christ Giving His Blessing" (or similar) by Hans Memling.
- Paintings by Veronese (Venetian school) from the 16th century, representing the development of Italian Renaissance painting.
- Also numerous works representing the Genoese school of the 17th and 18th centuries—e.g., works by Cambias, Strozzi, Magnasco, etc.
Palazzo Bianco has 47 exhibition rooms. In addition to the permanent collection, there is the "Galeria sekundaria" (deposito), a storage room containing works that are partly off display, sometimes undergoing restoration or research. These objects are often part of changing exhibitions or rotations within the main collection. The tour is organized to showcase older Renaissance works first, then progressing through the Baroque and Genoese School, and finally Northern painting and decoration.
Palazzo Bianco is a milestone in Genoese culture—both as an example of a Rolli Palace (palazzo dei Rolli) from the era of the Republic of Genoa and as one of the most important painting galleries in northern Italy. Connected with Palazzo Rosso and Palazzo Tursi to form the "Musei di Strada Nuova," it is a key cultural and tourist destination, providing insight into the development of art, patronage, and the history of Genoa from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Albini's role in the post-war exhibition planning is also noteworthy—his approach to museum space was innovative and influenced the presentation of art in urban contexts.
