Art and culture in Milan : Osservatorio & Academia dei Bambini by Fondazione Prada

Milan is becoming a must-visit culture hub. Last month, the Prada foundation in Milan opened a new space in the city center called Milano Osservatorio, dedicated to photography and visual languages. Next week will be the opening of a space dedicated to children, Academia dei Bambini, still by the Prada Foundation. The Prada Foundation is one of the most striking art spaces that recently opened. Architect Rem Koolhaas transformed an original 1910 distillery into a multiple space that mixed industrial elements with luxury materials and details such as travertine marble and gold applications. The geometry oscillates between horizontal and vertical, creating a feeling of both grounding and elevation. Seven spaces host art exhibits and a cinema room : warehouses, brewing cisterns, as well as new buildings made of glass, white concrete, and aluminum.

There’s also a very fun cafe, “Bar Luce”, decorated by Wes Anderson with an old juke box, formica tables and other retro elements that make you travel back in time, like in iconic Italian movies from the 50’s and 60’s. Children will LOVE the ice creams. You can spend the whole day in Bar Luce dreaming, eating and looking at art lovers contemplating the beauty of the whole Fondazione Prada space.

The 800 m2 Milano Osservatorio is located on the sixth floor of the famous Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II, on of one of the central buildings, at the level of the dome of glass and iron. The gallery, next to the Duomo, is one of the most visited buildings in Milan and it hosted the first Prada store , opened by Muccia Prada’s grandfather in 1913. It is dedicated to photography and visual languages.

The Accademia dei Bambini is Fondazione Prada’s first project specifically created for children, and was developed by the neuropediatrician Giannetta Ottilia Latis, who laid the theoretical and operational groundwork. The architectural layout of the space was entrusted to a group of young students from the École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Versailles, led by their teachers Cédric Libert and Elias Guenon.

The Accademia is a space created as an independent structure equipped with everything it needs to conduct multidisciplinary activities, not strictly connected with art exhibitions, but also open to intergenerational dialogue and debate related to pedagogical–cultural issues to be experienced through gameplay, creativity, learning and exchange.

The Accademia presents free activities and workshops conducted by a range of different experts: educators, artists, scientists, directors. These “masters” will not only of teach or suggest techniques, but also remain open to learning and applying new skills that children may suggest.