Overlooking the scenic Piazza delle Erbe, Palazzo Maffei hosts one of the most incredible museum projects in the world. This splendid Renaissance palace houses over 700 works spanning 4,000 years of history, born from the all-encompassing passion of Luigi Carlon, an entrepreneur and patron of the arts, who here gathered the dreams, insights, and ventures of a lifetime as a collector.

A family mission, born from a love of Veronese art and Futurism, which later expanded to include the great avant-garde movements and the artists who changed the world, from Canova to Picasso.

Art is the highest form of hope.

(Gerhard Richter)

The Exhibition: A Dialogue Between Eras

Now directed by Vanessa Carlon Valerio, the Museum’s exhibition unfolds through 29 rooms on two levels. The exhibition, curated by Gabriella Belli and Luigi Carlon himself, stands out for its eclectic boldness, giving rise to veritable Wunderkammers of ingenious juxtapositions.

Thus, with great emotional and visual impact, a marble bust of Marcus Aurelius sits alongside the Gladiators in the room by Giorgio de Chirico, while in another room, a sculpture by Antonio Canova dialogues with site-specific installations by Chiara Dynys and works by Giulio Paolini and Vittorio Matino.

The Collection: From Archaeology to the Greats of the Twentieth Century

The Palazzo, built on the ruins of a temple of Capitoline Jupiter and commissioned by the Maffei bankers in the 17th century, is a place steeped in history. The Carlon Collection ranges from Greco-Roman archaeology to design, including Veronese masters such as Altichiero da Verona and Paolo Caliari, to those who captured the city in all its beauty, such as the landscape painter Gaspar van Wittel, and immortal names such as Mantegna, Dürer, Boldini, Modigliani, and Casorati.
The fathers of modern art—Magritte, Kandinsky, Mirò, Fontana, Burri—as well as contemporaries such as Cattelan and Erlich are also represented.

The Carlon family’s hunt for “the masterpiece” continues to this day: one example is Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa, of which very few copies remain, with a few dozen museums around the world owning them, and which finally arrived at the Museum in 2023 after 45 years of constant research.

The Future of Art: AI and New Acquisitions

Palazzo Maffei looks to the future and to young people, dreaming of unearthing the “Mantegna of tomorrow.” It was the first art foundation in Italy to exhibit a work created with Artificial Intelligence: Borderland.

A large digital canvas that merges and reworks works by masters exhibited in the Museum, including Picasso, Boldini, de Chirico, Hokusai, van Wittel, Brentana, and many others from the Carlon collection, activating a knowledge-building process for the artificial intelligence that also interacts with the visitor.

Among the new acquisitions not to be missed:
• Francesco Hayez: The Virgin in Prayer (1840), displayed in the room dedicated to motherhood
• Albrecht Dürer: the woodcut The Capture of Christ (1510), exhibited in the Sala degli Stucchi
• Felice Casorati: the absolute masterpiece The Dream of the Pomegranate (1912), a symbol of fertility to which an entire room is dedicated
• And also works by Stephan Balkenhol, Paul Klee, Osvaldo Licini, ceramics by Picasso… Each of them tells a chapter in the history of world art and can be explored more closely at one of the many events organized by Vanessa Carlon and her team, together with artists, curators, and art historians.

A Place That’s Good for the Soul

The museum is also a haven for well-being: through the Minerva Project, in collaboration with the University of Verona, visitors can experience how artistic experiences can improve mental health.

And for instant happiness, on the top floor of the museum, you can visit the splendid panoramic terrace overlooking Piazza delle Erbe, decorated with tuff statues by Gabriele Brunelli. Among them, a unique Hercules based on the Farnese model, sculpted from a block of marble found during Renaissance excavations (the only one of a different color from the others).

The Secret

Palazzo Maffei, whose architect remains unknown, holds secret wonders such as the spiral staircase at the entrance. Described by Scipione Maffei as “all in the air,” it rises from the cellars to the roof without any visible support. It is here that Anna Galtarossa’s Comet sculpture floats: a 13-meter site-specific installation that slowly rotates, creating an immersive experience between dream and reality.

The Panoramic Terrace

Useful Info

Palazzo Maffei
Piazza Erbe 38
37121 Verona
Tel. + 39 045 5118529

Full ticket: €15
Terrace visit: €5
For events, guided tours, and other offers, visit the Museum website