Hangar Bicocca (Via Chiese 2, Milan, in the Bicocca quarter, northeast of the city center, accessible by Metro Line M5 at the Bignami stop) is the most significant contemporary art institution in Italy and the one that produces, in visitors who arrive without expectations, the most specific and lasting artistic impression: seven lead towers by Anselm Kiefer, ranging from 14 to 18 meters in height, standing permanently in the main nave of the former Pirelli factory building, surrounded by the specific industrial scale of a space 90 meters long, 32 meters wide, and 20 meters high. The work ("The Seven Heavenly Palaces," 2004) is the largest permanent artwork in Italy by volume and one of the most ambitious single-artist installations in the world. Kiefer's specific combination of lead (the alchemical metal of transformation and heaviness), the Sefirotic imagery of Jewish mysticism (the Sefirot, the divine emanations of the Kabbalah, whose seven lower spheres the towers represent), and the post-industrial scale of the Pirelli factory setting produces an encounter that no reproduction prepares you for.
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Hangar Bicocca: Complete Guide
The Kiefer Towers: What to Know Before Entering
The Seven Heavenly Palaces (Sette Palazzi Celesti in Italian) aren't static sculptures but accumulations: each of the seven towers is built from blocks of broken lead (Kiefer's specific material, lead appears throughout his work as the substance of transformation, of alchemy, of the specific weight of history and memory) piled on steel structures, with the specific textures and inclusions (glass, sunflower seeds, the occasional embedded inscription) that Kiefer incorporates into all his large-scale work. The towers are intended to be walked around and walked between, the specific Kiefer viewing protocol is proximity and movement, not distance and stasis. The most powerful position: standing between two adjacent towers and looking up at the lead surfaces against the industrial ceiling of the factory nave.
Temporary Exhibitions and Program
Hangar Bicocca presents 3-4 major temporary exhibitions per year in the spaces adjacent to the permanent Kiefer installation, the programming is consistently at the international level (past shows have included Tino Sehgal, Cildo Meireles, Carsten Höller, Yael Bartana) and entry is free or at minimal cost (approximately €5 for the temporary exhibitions, the Kiefer permanent installation is included). The exhibition calendar is at hangarbicocca.org. Hours: Thursday-Sunday 10am-10pm (the late closing is specifically designed to allow after-work Milan visits, a Pirelli (Bicocca's founding sponsor) cultural decision that respects the working schedule of the city).
Q&A: Hangar Bicocca Milan
Is Hangar Bicocca free to visit?
The permanent Kiefer installation (The Seven Heavenly Palaces) is free to visit without reservation. Temporary exhibitions: free or approximately €5 depending on the exhibition. The specific Hangar Bicocca admission policy is genuinely one of the most generous of any major contemporary art institution in Europe, the decision to make the permanent collection free reflects Pirelli's founding philosophy of making the cultural investment accessible to the broadest possible Milan audience.
