For some while now the importance of private institutions intervening in the art sector has been debated. For instance, Milan, considered the capital city of contemporaneity in Italy, is still waiting for a museum able to be in line with current artistic trends. However, in the meanwhile, fortunately there are the private institutions. Some of the most important ones are the Amaldo Pomodoro Foundation, the Antonio Mazzotta Foundation and the Nicola Trussardi Foundation. Mainly firms active in the fashion sector, one of the sectors that for its nature comes closer to art, through their foundations have become important reference points for art.
The Prada Foundation is one of the best examples of this type of reality. Miuccia Prada, who with her husband Maurizio Bertelli in 1993 created this institution, has a renowned passion for art. Actually, the New York Times recently dedicated a front cover to her (this is the first time for a fashion designer) with an article entitled “The Patroness” referring to her activity of patronage and support in favour of artists. Miuccia Prada’s passion for art is reflected in the activities of the Prada Foundation, which in these years has confirmed itself as one of the reference spaces for contemporary art.
Now, this important private space has decided to open a new venue, a place where it can carry out interesting cultural events and can launch new projects. The chosen venue is in the hinterland of Milan, south of the city. It is an ex-industrial building fallen into disuse, an early 20th- century complex that used to be the site of an old manufacturing company, which will be restructured to house the foundation.
The author of this transformation will be Rem Koolhaas, Dutch architect founder of the Office Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), whom Prada had already referred to for the creation of her shops in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The project presented by Rem Koolhaas integrates the pre-existing structure (seven buildings altogether including warehouses, laboratories and silos) with an architectonic structure explicitly dedicated to exhibitions, an auditorium and a tower that will host the permanent collection, which includes more than 500 works.
The project will cost about 25 million euros. The space, which will measure about 17,500 square meters, should be realized by 2012. In the meanwhile, the space in Fogazzaro Street remains open and will continue to propose exhibitions of contemporary art. Until 1st June, the works of the Swedish Nathalie Djurberg will be exposed.
The renewal of the venue will coincide with a new course regarding cultural projects, which will receive increasing commitment. New projects will be realized in synergy with artists and in collaboration with museums and international institutions.
The foundation director, Germano Celant, will take care also of this new project.

(translated by Giorgina Arcuri)