COLD SPRING, NY .- Magazzino Italian Art, the museum and research center dedicated to advancing scholarship and public appreciation of postwar and contemporary Italian art in the United States, is pleased to announce that they have broken ground on the Robert Olnick Pavilion. The new Pavilion, set to open in 2023, will be the second building on their campus in Cold Spring, New York.
The nonprofit museum serves as an advocate for Italian artists as it celebrates the range of their creative practices from Arte Povera to the present. Through its curatorial, scholarly and public initiatives, Magazzino explores the impact and enduring resonances of Italian art on a global level.
Meaning warehouse in Italian, Magazzino was co-founded by Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu. The 20,000 square-foot museum, designed by Spanish architect Miguel Quismondo, opened its doors in 2017, creating a new cultural hub and community resource within the Hudson Valley that is open and free to the public. Now, looking ahead, Magazzino will break ground on a second building in order to further its mission.
Renowned Spanish architect Alberto Campo Baeza and Miguel Quismondo have collaborated for the first time to design the Robert Olnick Pavilion in the same spirit as the existing Magazzino Italian Art building, which features more than 18,000 square feet of exhibition space as well as a library with more than 5,000 publications of Italian art. The new pavilion will add 13,000 square feet to the existing exhibition space and will incorporate a room devoted to decorative arts, ceramics and jewelry, alongside a multi-purpose room with auditorium capabilities and a combined cafe and shop on the mezzanine. An Education Department will launch in 2023.
"It's been a great experience and honor to work with Alberto and to continue working with Nancy and Giorgio on the new building. Nancys father, Robert Olnick, has been a constant reference for us; I never had the opportunity to meet him, but designing this pavilion feels like an important way to honor him. -Miguel Quismondo, Architect
We are thrilled to expand our facility and to welcome even more visitors, boosting our programming and consolidating our activities year-round in Cold Spring. The Robert Olnick Pavilion will introduce new gallery spaces enabling us to host temporary exhibitions showcasing the work of postwar and contemporary artists, as well as important Italian designers. One of the most exciting aspects of the expansion is the opening of our Department of Education - hosted in our multi-purpose room - along with an auditorium that will allow us to continue our public programs in the colder months. We are making an important investment in the town of Cold Spring, a community that welcomed us so warmly over five years ago, as well as investing in our audience and visitors throughout the Tri-State region. -Vittorio Calabrese, Director of Magazzino Italian Art