The enlargement project of the Poldi Pezzoli Museum has incorporated a space of about 200 square meters, adjoining the main floor of the Museum.
The focus of the project is the "enfilade", which connects the heart of the museum to the new exhibition spaces in a scenographic series of rooms which end with the Portrait Gallery.
The new “enfilade” is part of the visitor's itinerary already characterised by perspective views from one room into another, enriching it and continuing the layout.
Unlike the historic rooms, the new ones host a series of collections that are displayed in rotation.
This has led to a number of design choices that help distinguish them from the rest of the Museum.
A space for temporary exhibitions has to adapt to different needs from time to time and therefore requires considerable flexibility in terms of layout, plant engineering and finishes.
On the other hand, the Museum's historical rooms are also characterised by a heterogeneity of finishes and materials which make it possible to identify the different periods of construction and the different authors.
This comes from the founder's desire to entrust the design of the various rooms to different designers, but also from the post-war reconstruction which affected a large part of the structure, as well as from the change in exhibition criteria which led to the renovation and addition of various spaces.
The lighting arms, specially designed by Studio Ferrara Palladino Lightscape, ensure strong visual continuity between the different rooms.
From the new rooms it is possible to enjoy an evocative view of the garden and of the interior façades of the Poldi Pezzoli building, richly worked and characterised by a clear dichromatic effect.
THE NEW DISPLAY CASE FOR RAFFAELLO'S CROSS
The Visconti Venosta Room, adjacent to the rooms of the Franzini Wing, houses the new display case designed to preserve the processional cross attributed to Raffaello Sanzio (1500).
The new display case shows the cross on a portion of the pole, recalling its original processional function. The reduced thickness of the display case makes it possible to approach the work and admire the details of the painting by the great Urbino master.
LED lighting is integrated in the display case, allowing the control of the internal microclimate thanks to the presence of a passive humidity stabiliser.
The location of the new display case, off-centre with respect to the space of the room, makes it possible to see Raffaello’s work in the “Salone Dorato “and to establish a dialogue with other iconic pieces in the Museum.