What lies “inside” a work of art?
The exhibition “Art from Inside. Masterpieces unveiled between art and science”, a multidisciplinary cultural project conceived by Fondazione Bracco and presented for the first time in a major exhibition context such as Palazzo Reale in Milan, from October 9, 2025 to January 6, 2026, proposes to visitors a question that is apparently simple, but actually unveils an entire universe: what lies behind – and inside – a work of art? A world of research, restoration, conservation, and enhancement: fundamental yet often invisible aspects, which the public is rarely invited to explore.
“Art from Inside. Masterpieces unveiled between art and science” is an innovative project that combines art, research and advanced public outreach.
The exhibition guides visitors into a fascinating journey through art from the 15th to the 18th century, revealing –
through diagnostic analyses and full-scale 1:1 reproductions – the hidden layers of eight masterpieces, in an immersive and multimedia narrative. In this dialogue between art and science, technology becomes both a tool of investigation and a source of wonder, granting access to dimensions which are normally invisible. From Beato Angelico to Piero della Francesca, from Piero del Pollaiolo to Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio, to Caravaggio, Giovanna Garzoni - one of the foremost female artists of her century - and a precious 18th- century violin by Lorenzo Storioni, the exhibition presents a pantheon of masters who shaped the history of Italian art, now explored from an entirely new perspective.
Thanks to a meticulous scientific investigation, each work reveals a “secret life”: hidden choices, revisions, changes in patronage, compositional variations, and technical stratifications. All elements invisible to the naked eye, revealed thanks to the most advanced diagnostic technologies. Where the gaze of restorers and art historians must stop, science now can step in – unveiling what has remained concealed beneath the surface for centuries. A radical and captivating immersion into the creative process of artists.
Promoted by the Municipality of Milano-Cultura and produced by Palazzo Reale and Fondazione Bracco in collaboration with 24 ORE Cultura-Gruppo 24 ORE.
The exhibition benefits from the scientific expertise of the team coordinated by Isabella Castiglioni, Professor of Applied Physics at the University of Milan-Bicocca and Scientific Director of the Centro Diagnostico Italiano (CDI), together with art historian Stefano Zuffi.
Free admission
Discover more
