The Exhibition of the Artworks

The Milan Cathedral Museum is one of the most important museums in Milan. Based in Piazza Duomo within the Royal Palace, the museum occupies a space of 2000 sqm and develops in twenty-six rooms.

Inside the museum there are exhibited the Treasure of the Cathedral and the artworks from both the Duomo and the Veneranda Fabbrica (Venerable Factory), which is the institution in charge of the protection and promotion of the Milan Cathedral, now active for over 630 years.

Established in 1953, the museum has been opened again in autumn 2013 after a major renovation, presenting a new exhibition layout of the rich collection of sculptures, sacred objects, paintings, tapestries, terracotta, stained glass windows, and the great architectural model of the Duomo made of wood in 1:22 scale (4×8 meters for over 5 meters in height), begun in 1519 and completed over three centuries.

The artworks have been displayed in chronological order to allow visitors to follow step-by-step all the phases of the construction of the Cathedral in a historical itinerary spanning over five centuries.

The Museum Graphics

As part of the new exhibition design, an integral museum graphics system was specially developed consisting of essential signage, a complex captions repertoire, and decorative graphics for room panels and the lockers available to visitors.

Almost fifty site inspections were dedicated to the preparation and definition of the graphic design, all carried out in close collaboration with the architect Guido Canali, who was in charge of the architectural project, dedicating great attention to the sizing and positioning of each element.

The Sacredness of Art

The graphic design was conceived to express sobriety and undestatement, adopting measured solutions that are aesthetically consistent with the exhibition design, as a sign of respect for the place, the artworks, and the architecture.

Through the new exhibition layout, the Milan Cathedral Museum now appears to be a place of aesthetic and spiritual contemplation dedicated to the beauty and sacredness of art.

—Nicola-Matteo Munari