Palazzo Riso

The Palazzo Riso, or RISO, Museo d’Arte Contemporanea della Sicilia (RISO, Contemporary Art Museum of Sicily also known as Palazzo Belmonte Riso), is a regional contemporary art museum located in the ancient Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Palermo, Italy.

History and architecture
The Palazzo Riso's architecture clearly shows the final days of Sicilian Baroque as it was transformed into Neoclassicism. Designed by the architect Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia, the house was constructed at the end of the 18th century and completed in 1784. It became property of the Prince of Belmonte, and in the 19th century it passed to Baron Riso. The marble Riso coat of arms on the portal of the palazzo was carved by Ignazio Marabitti.

During World War II the building was damaged by Allied bombing. Restored from the mid-1990s, since 2008 it has become a contemporary art museum.

The museum
The Riso Contemporary Art Museum of Sicily is one of the most important museums in the region.

The museum collects works by contemporary artists including Andrea Di Marco, Alessandro Bazan, Giovanni Anselmo, Emilio Isgrò, Domenico Mangano, Antonio Sanfilippo, Carla Accardi, Christian Boltanski, Croce Taravella, Francesco De Grandi, Francesco Simeti, Fulvio Di Piazza, Giulia Piscitelli, Laboratorio Saccardi, Luca Vitone, Paola Pivi, Pietro Consagra, Richard Long, Richard T. Scott, and Salvo.