The National Art Gallery of Cagliari is located in the Cittadella dei Musei, a prestigious cultural complex designed in the second half of the twentieth century in the area of the eighteenth-century Royal Arsenal, in the ancient Castello district. Hosted since the late nineteenth century in the Palazzo delle Seziate, in the nearby Piazza Indipendenza, and closed to the public since the mid-1970s, it found its permanent seat in the current location since 1992. The building housing it, designed in a rationalist style by Piero Gazzola, incorporates parts of the sixteenth-century Spanish walls in a harmonious blend of old and new. Its location at the top of the Cittadella offers visitors a charming panoramic view of the city of Cagliari.
The gallery preserves paintings from the 14th to the 20th century. The core of the collection consists of retables, large multi-panel altarpieces painted on wood, from the Catalan and local schools (15th-16th centuries). This collection was formed in the second half of the nineteenth century following the suppression of ecclesiastical bodies and the acquisition of their assets by the State. Since the 1920s, significant ethnographic collections have been added through purchase or private donation – including textiles, jewelry, and furnishings produced in Sardinia (18th-19th centuries) – along with a collection of medieval and modern weapons and ceramics produced in Sardinia, Pisa-Ligurian, or Valencian styles. The gallery also includes an interesting collection of stone materials and local coat of arms (13th-17th centuries), as well as a collection of sculptures in various materials (12th-19th centuries).
The exhibition route develops over three levels: the upper floor displays the oldest paintings, the middle floor showcases Baroque period artworks, and the lower floor features portraits and landscapes from the 19th and 20th centuries. Other collections are exhibited on rotation.
Information about National Art Gallery of Cagliari
Piazza Arsenale,
09100 Cagliari (Cagliari)
070 662496
sbapsae-ca.pinacoteca.museo@beniculturali.it
https://www.pinacoteca.cagliari.beniculturali.it
Source: MIBACT
