The Best Art Galleries of Palermo, Italy
Palermo is Italy’s fifth largest city, with a population of almost 1 million people, and is Sicily’s economic and cultural capital. It has a number of great attractions that are worth exploring and visiting, including its art galleries.
Palermo is often used as the key gateway into Sicily for many visitors, who arrive into its airport from locations all around Europe and beyond. Travellers and tourists often spend a day or two here before moving on to other places around Sicily, such as the beaches, the ancient city of Siracusa, and Mount Etna, amongst others.
One of it’s charms is that Palermo is characterised by narrow streets and alleyways, but it does suffer from urban decay, which adds to its charm. This gives Palermo a different feel to other Italian cities.
It is located at the centre of the Mediterranean, and finds itself in a location where cultures fuse and come together, which has influenced its art community. Whilst the historic sites are a clear and obvious tourist attraction, there is more to Palermo, such as a number of contemporary art galleries, located in close proximity of each other. I have listed the details below and feel they are well worth visiting.
So if you have a few days or hours to spend in Palermo, you may want to visit one these galleries. Please read on to find a gallery that may suit your tastes.
Table of Contents
Palermo’s Top 3 Art Galleries
If you only have a short time in Palermo, I suggest visiting one of either Francesco Pantaleone Arte Contemporanea, Galleria d'Arte Moderna di Palermo or Nuvole Incontri d’Arte. These galleries can be found in the historic alleyways of Palermo. I have set out more information on each below.
1. Francesco Pantaleone Arte Contemporanea
Francesco Pantaleone Arte Contemporanea (FPAC) was founded in Palermo in 2013, and seeks to bring both local and international contemporary art to the city. This is very interesting and stimulating place for lovers of contemporary art, and if you only have time to visit one gallery in Palermo, make it this one.
The gallery has recently moved to the iconic Quattro Canti, in the historic part of the city. The success of this gallery has allowed it to expand to a second gallery in 2017, located in Milan.
The Francesco Pantaleone Contemporary Art Gallery hosts a series of mini-exhibitions called ‘Project Wall’. These exhibitions often involve collaborations between artists, with the aim of broadening horizons, to generate new ideas. It is particularly aimed at young artists who are not yet represented by a gallery.
Francesco Pantaleone Arte Contemporanea is located at Via Vittorio Emanuele 303, 90133, Palermo and is open Monday to Saturday between 3pm and 7pm.
2. Galleria d'Arte Moderna di Palermo
CC Image courtesy of Silvana Gallio on Wikimedia Commons
The Galleria d'Arte Moderna di Palermo (The Gallery of Modern Art) has had a presence in Palermo for over 100 years, and is considered to be a popular cultural part of the city.
The Gallery of Modern Art has been located in its current venue at the former Franciscan convent of the Church of Sant’Anna since 2006, where it now displays paintings and sculptural artworks covering the last 200 years. There are a number nationally significant pieces, including the large-scale paintings by Giuseppe Sciuti, the landscapes by Francesco Lojacono, and the art nouveau paintings by Ettore De Maria Bergler.
The Galleria d'Arte Moderna di Palermo can be found at Sant'Anna 21, 90133 Palermo, which continues from Via Alloro to Via Roma and is just a few hundred metres away from Piazza Pretoria and Palazzo delle Aquile.
3. Nuvole Incontri d’Arte
The Nuvole Incontri d'Arte Association was founded in 1996 by a group of artists and is located along the historic streets of Vicolo Ragusi, near Quattro Canti. The Association organises exhibitions and events, as well as conferences and art talks, and instigates local community projects.
The gallery can be found at Nuvole Association Gallery, Vicolo Ragusi 35, 90134, Palermo. It is worth checking their website to see the current events prior to your visit.
Palermo’s Smaller Art Galleries
Palermo has a number of smaller galleries that are also worth visiting, even if you just have an hour to spare.
Galleria Regionale della Sicilia
Galleria Regionale della Sicilia is the largest museum in Palermo and is located in the impressive 15th Century Palazzo Abatellis. The museum’s art collection comprises works of art and sculpture, which date from the medieval period, Renaissance periods, right through to the 18th century. The large and iconic fresco ‘Triumph of Death’, is exhibited in the former chapel, and is an attraction in its own right.
Galleria Regionale della Sicilia is located at Via Alloro 4, Palermo, and is open Monday and Friday to Sunday between 9am and 1pm and Tuesday to Thursday between 9am and 1pm and between 3pm and 5pm.
RizzutoGallery
RizzutoGallery is a contemporary art gallery that opened in 2013. This gallery focuses on the contemporary expressions and innovations of the visual arts from both established and emerging artists.
RizzutoGallery can found at Via Maletto, 5 – 90133 Palermo, within Kalsa, the oldest district of the city.
Elle Arte Galleria
Since it opened in 1998, the Elle Arte Gallery has played host to a number of contemporary exhibitions featuring painting, sculpture, and photography. It has also acted as a venue for cultural meetings and events, featuring collectors, artists, curators, writers and journalists.
The Elle Arte Gallery is located at via Ricasoli, 45 90139 Palermo.
Galleria Beatrice
The Galleria Beatrice was established in 2006, and is located at Palazzo Sambuca, Via Alloro 36, Palermo. It is just a short distance from Palazzo Abatellis and the Gallery of Modern Art.
This is a smaller gallery that features 19th and 20th Century artworks. It can easily be visited in combination with a trip to one of the other nearby galleries.
Palermo’s Historical Context
Palermo is steeped in history, having been founded as a Phoenician merchant colony around 730 BC. Since that time, it has been a Greek and Roman city, under Arab rule, its own Norman Kingdom, annexed into Spain and later, part of the unification of Italy. This history is recognised, as a number of sites around the city are designated as Unesco World Heritage Sites, including the Palazzo Reale with the Cappella Palatina, the Chiesa di San Giovanni degli Eremiti, the Chiesa di Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio, the Chiesa di San Cataldo, the Cattedrale di Palermo, the Palazzo della Zisa and the Ponte dell’Ammiraglio.
I hope you have found this post about Palermo, Sicily useful. If you have visited Palermo and any of these art galleries, I would love to hear your thoughts or if you feel something is missing from this post, please email me and let me know at sarahransomeart@gmail.com.
