April exhibitions in Milan and Lombardy: practical guide to Art Week

Overview

April is a busy month for exhibitions in Milan: Milano Art Week and Design Week follow one another, turning the city into an active cultural stage. Below is a curated selection of the most notable exhibitions and events in Milan and Lombardy, with dates and practical information to plan your visits.

Highlights during Milano Art Week (13-19 April)

• Spazio Leonardo – "Micaela Piñero: Celestial Guardians" (from 10 April): site-specific paintings blending spiritual symbols and winged figures.
• Gallerie d’Italia – special vault opening (18 April) featuring works by artists connected to music such as Mario Schifano and Robert Ryman.
• PAC – Padiglione d’arte contemporanea – "Marco Fusinato: THE ONLY TRUE ANARCHY IS THAT OF POWER" (until 7 June): installations, photography and sound architectures.
• Ncontemporary – "When The Sun Sets" (from 14 April): a group show exploring the concept of the horizon with six artists.
• Fondazione Prada – "Dash" (from 9 April): multimedia project investigating agricultural transformations in East and Southeast Asia.
• Galleria Maiocchi15 – "Kosmos. Visual universes in continuous transformation" (until 19 April): reflections on order and harmony in contemporary imagery.
• Galleria Crédit Agricole – Refettorio delle Stelline – "Andy Warhol. Passage in Italy 1975-1987" (until 26 June): works like "Vesuvius" and "The Last Supper" showing the artist’s dialogue with Italy.
• Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio – museum treasury: temporary display of two Tiepolo masterpieces (13-19 April).

Design Week (20-26 April): projects and districts to visit

• Alcova – exceptional openings in usually inaccessible sites such as Villa Pestarini and the Military Hospital of Baggio, hosting around 120 international exhibitors.
• 5VIE – QoT (Qualia of Things) – a distributed exhibition focused on the sensory experience generated by unique objects.
• Tortona District – THINKING BETTER program: projects that look to the past to reimagine the future of design.
• Porta Venezia – "Design is Act": design positioned as a conscious and engaged practice facing global challenges.
• Isola Design District – "TEN: The Evolving Now": sustainability, experimental materials and cultural identity scenarios for the coming decades.

Other ongoing exhibitions worth seeing

• "Metafisica/Metafisiche" (until 21 June) – a city-wide show across Palazzo Reale, Museo del Novecento, Gallerie d’Italia and Grande Brera, revisiting De Chirico, Morandi and De Pisis.
• "Giovanni Gastel, Rewind" (until 26 July) – a retrospective at Palazzo Citterio with 140 photographs and unpublished writings.
• Anselm Kiefer. The Alchemists (Palazzo Reale, until 27 September) – a site-specific work dedicated to women who claimed their place in the history of science.
• I Macchiaioli (Palazzo Reale, until 14 June) – a survey focused on Lega, Signorini and Fattori.
• "Wonders of the Grand Tour" (Museo Poldi Pezzoli, until 4 May) – a selection of objects from the Metropolitan collection.

Practical tips for planning visits

• Always check opening hours and buy tickets online in advance for timed-entry exhibitions or high-demand shows.
• Use the Milano Art Week days for special openings but plan alternative routes to avoid peak crowds at central venues.
• Explore design districts (Tortona, Isola, 5VIE) on foot to visit multiple exhibitions; consult maps and dedicated apps to optimize your itinerary.
• Note limited-time displays: some works are available only on specific dates, so verify temporary exhibition windows before you go.

This guide highlights the main exhibitions of the month to help you navigate Milan and Lombardy’s dense program: prioritize, book ahead and enjoy a full month of art and design.