The museum’s premises were renovated by the Municipality of Terni to host art collections and exhibitions in the disused spaces of the former Siri factory.
The area’s first industrial settlement was an old papal ironworks commissioned by the Apostolic Chamber in 1793. At the time of Italy’s unification, it was still the largest factory in Umbria, covering 12,000 sqm with a workforce of about 200 employees.
Closed in 1905, from 1919 the plant, composed of various buildings, warehouses, offices, workers’ housing, and ore deposits, was dedicated to metalworking and chemical processes, mainly for military purposes.
In 1925, under the influence of Luigi Casale and after a series of transformations and corporate acquisitions, Sias was transformed into SIRI (Società Italiana Ricerche Industriali). The company’s main activities were the production of synthetic ammonia and other chemical products. Starting from the 1930s, Siri focused primarily on research, abandoning large-scale production. The activity continued until the 1970s, with a gradual decline in output, leading to final closure in 1983.
The new Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, arranged with innovative criteria, hosts artworks from the 15th to the 19th century, previously displayed in the Municipal Art Gallery “Orneore Metelli” at Palazzo Gazzoli, including masterpieces by Italian Renaissance artists such as Piermatteo d’Amelia and Benozzo Gozzoli, or local artists like Niccolò Alunno, Giovanni di Pietro known as Lo Spagna, and Pompeo Cocchi. The new museum also houses the collection of naive paintings by Orneore Metelli and sculptures by Aurelio De Felice. Graphic works by artists like Chagall, Miró, Leger, and Kandinsky are also available to visitors. A large section is dedicated to contemporary art featuring works by artists such as Turcato, Mastroianni, Pomodoro, Severini, Montanarini, Minucchi, Passalacqua, Chung Eun Mo, and others.
Ownership of the entire area was acquired in multiple phases from 1997 to 2002 by the Municipality of Terni. Along with the preservation of the access avenue and the central open space of the original settlement system, all existing buildings were restored for cultural and leisure services, while residential use was reinstated on the first floor of the perimeter building.
Information about the Aurelio De Felice Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art – CAOS (Opificio Siri Arts Center)
Viale Campofregoso, 98
05100 Terni (Terni)
0744 285946
info@caos.museum
Source: MIBACT
