Milano Drawing week

For nine days, Milan places drawing at the center stage: ten exhibitions across institutions and galleries; contemporary artists in dialogue with 20th-century masters; and a city-wide program of talks, workshops, gatherings, and collective activities.

From the Scanavino Fondazione to the Cittadella degli Archivi, from galleries to the San Fedele church-museum, and from a flower shop to the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana: the sixth edition of Milano Drawing Week—conceived and produced by Collezione Ramo—takes drawing beyond its usual boundaries, inviting the public not only to view it but also to practice it.

Milan, October 2, 2026 – Milan is the only city in Italy to dedicate a full week to artistic drawing. Milano Drawing Week returns from November 21 to 29, 2026; conceived and curated by Collezione Ramo, the project is now in its sixth edition and is realized in collaboration with—and under the patronage of—the Municipality of Milan’s Department of Culture.

With nine days of programming, ten exhibitions, and a schedule of free events, Collezione Ramo maps out a geography of drawing across Milan: spanning institutions and galleries, archives and architectural studios, and even venues not typically associated with art. It is a journey that connects different generations, artistic languages, and contexts, restoring drawing to its most immediate essence: the space where an idea takes shape in its most authentic form.

Milano Drawing Week was born from this very conviction. Promoting modern and contemporary drawing means refocusing attention on a realm of freedom and exploration that runs through the entire history of art; indeed, some of the most significant artistic revolutions of the past and present have originated—and continue to originate—on paper.
However, during Milano Drawing Week, drawing is not merely something to observe; it involves drawing, listening, meeting, collecting, and discussing. Participants can join a collective sketching session in front of the artworks at the San Fedele church-museum; try their hand at "ugly drawing" (perfect for those who claim they can't draw); meet up for an aperitivo to draw with a group of artists; discover a foreign magazine dedicated entirely to contemporary drawing; or reflect on what it means today to collect and preserve a work on paper.
This open, participatory dimension defines the sixth edition: discovering how drawing can surprise and entertain us—and, above all, improve our well-being. Recent scientific research increasingly highlights the health benefits of drawing: reduced cortisol (the stress hormone), strengthened neuronal connections, increased synaptic activity, memory training, and improvements in critical thinking, attention span, and mental serenity.

A DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE PRESENT AND THE 20TH CENTURY
At the heart of the project—a constant feature of every Milano Drawing Week—is the dialogue between contemporary artists and masters of the last century.
The Ramo Collection—a unique collection comprising approximately 800 works dedicated entirely to Italian drawing from the 20th and 21st centuries—makes a selection of its holdings available to the invited artists. Each artist is asked to choose a specific work to engage with, resulting in an exhibition conceived expressly for Milano Drawing Week.

This process gives rise to juxtapositions that spark unexpected connections, highlight contrasts, and offer new interpretations: Massinissa Selmani with Lucio Del Pezzo, Francesco Snote with Antonio Donghi, Nicole Colombo with Alighiero Boetti, Roberto De Pinto with Bruno Munari, Margarita Gluzberg with Fausto Melotti, Damir Očko with Lucio Fontana, Mattia Barbieri with Mario Schifano, and Hernan Pitto Bellocchio with Alighiero Boetti. The eight projects, selected by Irina Zucca Alessandrelli, are hosted in Italian and international galleries as well as various spaces across the city, creating a rich constellation of exhibitions.

TWO INSTITUTIONS, TWO HISTORIES OF DRAWING
This year, the program involves two institutions with very different yet complementary projects.

At the Scanavino Fondazione, the centenary of Emilio Scanavino’s birth offers an opportunity to explore different stages of his foundational work on paper, with a focus on his previously unseen erotic drawings.

Meanwhile, at the Municipality of Milan’s Cittadella degli Archivi, the spotlight is on Ericailcane, one of the most recognizable figures in Italian street art. His anthropomorphic animals—ironic, unsettling creatures often used to stage hierarchies, behaviors, and distortions of power—trace the origins of works destined for the urban scale back to drawing.

The Cittadella will also host the grand opening party for Milano Drawing Week on Friday, November 20, from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM. For the occasion, Ericailcane will present large-scale, previously unseen drawings.