HangarBicocca is a contemporary art exhibition space in Milan created in 2004 when an industrial complex was reconverted. A dynamic setting for experimentation and research, it is one of the largest exhibition areas in Europe at 15,000 m2. It has three areas, the Shed, the Navate and the Cubo, characterised by visible architectural elements from previous centuries and offers services to the public and didactic activities.
The history of the Pirelli HangarBicocca building is intertwined with that of Breda, an industrial business founded in 1886 by the engineer Ernesto Breda which produced train wagons, electric and steam locomotives, water heaters, agricultural machines, utensils and, during WWI, weapons. In 1903, Breda moved the company to the Bicocca neighbourhood in 1903, with Pirelli, Falck and Marelli following suit which transformed the area into one of the most important industrial clusters in Italy. The new Breda complex includes Pirelli HangarBicocca.
In the early 1980s, the company was sold to the Ansaldo Gruppo who almost immediately began the process of prequalifying the historically industrial areas and progressively recreating the urban plan of the Bicocca neighbourhood. University buildings, central offices and private residences were built around the Teatro degli Arcimboldi.
Fondazione Lombardia Film Commission
Via Bergamo, 7 – 20032 Cormano (MI)
Phone: +39 02 89410090
Fax: +39 02 89422766
Email: filmcom@filmcomlombardia.it
