The Brera Art Gallery was commissioned by Maria Theresa of Austria in 1776 for educational purposes. It was intended to constitute a collection of exemplary works, aimed at the training of students. When Milan became the capital of the Italian Kingdom, the collection, by the will of Napoleon, transformed into a museum meant to exhibit the most significant paintings from all the territories conquered by the French armies.
From the early 1800s, also following the suppression of many religious orders, paintings confiscated from Lombard churches and convents flowed in, along with works of the same origin taken from the various departments of the Italian Kingdom.
The Brera Art Gallery holds masterpieces by Italian artists from the 14th to the 19th century, as well as some of the greatest foreign artists, across 38 rooms. Among the most famous artists are Piero della Francesca, Mantegna, Raphael, Bramante, Caravaggio, Tintoretto, Bellini, Bronzino. At the entrance courtyard, you can see the work by Canova representing the effigy of Napoleon.
Among the most famous paintings kept here are prominently the “Marriage of the Virgin” by Raphael, the “Dead Christ” by Mantegna, and the “Pietà” by Bellini. At the center of the courtyard stands the bronze of Napoleon I sculpted by Canova.
