HISTORY OF THE PAGANI MUSEUM

The PAGANI Museum is located in Castellanza, in the province of Varese, and stands in a wooded area bordering the city of Legnano.
The museum presents itself as a vast park, approximately 40,000 square meters, a true artistic oasis, in which hundreds of works are placed, including sculptures and mosaics, made with the most diverse materials: marble, stone, bronze, iron, steel, wood, glass, etc.

This collection can be defined as one of a kind, both for the number of works housed there, for the fame of the Italian and foreign artists represented, for the vastness of the area and, above all, for the fact that it is exhibited "en plein air".

The idea that inspired its creator, Enzo Pagani, was to bring works of art outdoors, as the ancient Greeks often did, in direct contact with nature, to breathe fresh air. Pagani declared in an interview: "In 1957 I was in Venice, in Torcello, and Hemingway was with me. Most of the time, after eating, I would sit on the large terrace of the Cipriani, which at the time was just a trattoria. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the island of Torcello: if you look at it, it is nothing more than a living museum. So I came up with the idea of creating a museum that was not just a static collection of works of art, but a living creature that grows with us...."

To ensure fluidity for any possible expansion, a grid of hexagons was chosen as the basic element of the project design, capable of offering maximum freedom in the placement of the works.

Since 1957, the Museum has given ample space to avant-garde works and many prestigious artists, belonging to various nations and various artistic movements such as futurism, dadaism and surrealism, have left their works here.

In addition to the sculptures, this park-museum has also included numerous and colourful mosaics, as figurative elements with a chromatic and vitalising function to its general panorama.

Today the Museum continues to bear witness to the passion of the Pagani Family through the commitment and dedication shown in the preservation of the permanent collection and in the promotion of cultural and artistic events.