Designed by Dutch architecture firm MVRDV in partnership with Balance Architettura and EP&S Group, the project will be delivered with the support of Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo.
The presentation – attended by the Mayor of Turin, Stefano Lo Russo, the Chair of Fondazione Torino Musei, Massimo Broccio, and the Chair of Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, Marco Gilli – provided an opportunity to look beyond the construction phase and reflect on the role cultural heritage can play in local development.
The new GAM is one of the Development Projects set out in the Foundation’s 2025-2028 Strategic Plan, through which the Turin-based philanthropic organisation channels its resources, expertise and coordinating capacity into projects designed to generated lasting benefits for communities and the local area.
From this perspective, the project’s value lies not only in the redevelopment of a building that is a symbol of Turin’s cultural heritage. The challenge is to strengthen the institution’s role as a cultural infrastructure that is open, accessible and connected to the city, capable of fostering participation, attracting talent and contributing to the area’s cultural and social development.
GAM was Italy’s first civic gallery of modern art. When it opened in the late 1950s, to a design by architects Carlo Bassi and Goffredo Boschetti, it represented one of the most forward-looking museum projects of the post-war period.
Today, the regeneration project builds on that legacy reinterpreting it in response to contemporary needs. Its aim is to restore the Gallery’s pioneering spirit by reimagining the museum as a space that is increasingly open, permeable and integrated into urban life.
Central to this vision are the “Diagonale di Luce” (Diagonal of Light), a new route through the building designed to strengthen its connection with the city, and the “Deposito Vivente” (Living Storeroom), which will make a significant portion of the museum’s collection of more than 50,000 works accessible to the public. These features expand opportunities to engage with the collection and reinforce GAM’s role as a place for encounter, learning and participation.
The new GAM forms part of a dedicated strategic initiative through which Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo promotes the revitalisation of places that represent a significant part of the region’s historical and cultural identity.
The aim is to support these heritage assets in their evolution, ensuring they remain vibrant resources for their communities while continuing to respond to contemporary needs. Within this framework, historic buildings, monumental complexes and cultural institutions become civic infrastructure capable of generating knowledge, fostering participation, attracting talent and enhancing the area’s attractiveness.
This approach also includes other major projects supported by the Foundation, such as those involving the Cavallerizza Reale, Villa della Regina and the Egyptian Museum, all united by a commitment to combining preservation, innovation and accessibility.
GAM 4.0 is one of the most significant expressions of this approach. It is a project that looks beyond the redevelopment of a building, focusing instead on the capacity of a place of symbolic significance to remain a living, open and generative space for the city.
From 1 July, the museum will also host an exhibition presenting the five finalists in the International Design Competition, which attracted entries from 49 teams around the world.
The exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to explore the exchange of ideas and visions that shaped the concept for the future GAM.
For further information, please read the press release available on the Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo website.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row el_class=”sdg-list-wrap”][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]