Description
The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Sicily, RISO, occupies Palazzo Riso, an 18th-century noble palace on the Cassaro, Palermo's Corso Vittorio Emanuele. It is the place to see late 20th-century and contemporary art connected with the island, with temporary exhibitions alongside the collection.
The collection includes Sicilian artists such as Carla Accardi, Pietro Consagra and Emilio Isgrò, next to international names like Christian Boltanski and Richard Long. The museum also houses an archive devoted to contemporary art in Sicily.
The palace was designed in 1780 by Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia for the Prince of Belmonte, between late baroque and neoclassical, and took its name from Baron Giovanni Riso, who bought it in the 19th century. The Riso coat of arms is still above the doorway.
During World War II it was the local Fascist Party headquarters: a bomb brought down part of it and destroyed the frescoes by Antonio Manno and Giuseppe Patania. Long abandoned, it was restored and has housed the museum since 2008.
The collection includes Sicilian artists such as Carla Accardi, Pietro Consagra and Emilio Isgrò, next to international names like Christian Boltanski and Richard Long. The museum also houses an archive devoted to contemporary art in Sicily.
The palace was designed in 1780 by Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia for the Prince of Belmonte, between late baroque and neoclassical, and took its name from Baron Giovanni Riso, who bought it in the 19th century. The Riso coat of arms is still above the doorway.
During World War II it was the local Fascist Party headquarters: a bomb brought down part of it and destroyed the frescoes by Antonio Manno and Giuseppe Patania. Long abandoned, it was restored and has housed the museum since 2008.