Inaugurated in 2005 and dedicated to contemporary art, the Madre Museum is located in the historic centre of Naples, on the three floors of the imposing Palazzo Donnaregina, built by the Swabians and later enlarged by Queen Mary of Hungary in 1325. Its 7200 square metres of exhibition space are open to site-specific installations on the first floor. Part of the collection can be found on the second floor and temporary exhibitions on the third.
From 2006 to 2012, the collection hosted internationally renowned works by important artists such as Giovanni Anselmo, Luciano Fabro, Lucio Fontana, Carlo Alfano, Bill Viola, Domenico Bianchi, Jeff Wall, Gilberto Zorio, Damien Hirst, Mario Merz, Robert Morris, Gianni Pisani and Andy Warhol. Also very successful in 2016 was the exhibition of Neapolitan Mimmo Jodice, a master of contemporary photography.
The Madre Museum, founded and wholly owned by the Campania Region, has been frequently cited by the well-known magazine Artribune as one of the best museums, and awarded in 2015 as Best Italian Museum of Contemporary Art. The Fondazione Donnaregina established the “Matronato alla Carriera” award, to honour those whose work is constantly committed to promoting, enhancing and defending contemporary art.