MASI Lugano is the child derived from the merging of 2 great parent museums - the Museo Cantonale d’Arte and Museo d’Arte, both of which have established a stronghold in the local creative arts scene for many decades. The unification provides visitors with a single, impressive platform for an appreciation of the creative arts from Southern Switzerland, especially as both public institutions feature complementary collections and have been devoted to expressing the arts in the same artistic direction for a long time.

The well-curated collection at the MASI Lugano showcases a wide variety of captivating artwork in the international and local context: from the early 15th-century to the 20th-century, with particular emphasis on the Swiss and Italian artwork from the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as art pieces created by the local community. Both the permanent and temporary exhibitions provide visitors with the unique opportunity to observe the worlds of old and modern, contemporary art blur and collide, all within a single, spectacularly designed architectural venue.