Milan is best-known as Italy’s fashion capital, but the city is also a world leader in art and design.

Giò Marconi

Whether you’re a visitor wanting a slice of contemporary culture or an expat looking to move in more avant-garde circles, here are some of the galleries you won’t want to miss. After the success of his initial creation Studio Marconi 17, an experimental space for young artists, in the late 80s, Giò Marconi established his eponymous gallery to focus on a programme of contemporary works, yet simultaneously including artists from his old Studio Marconi days.

Featured artists include: Allison Katz, John Bock, Magnus Andersen, Amelie Von Wulffen, Grazia Toderi.

Galleria Bianconi

The Bianconi Gallery, founded in 2000 by Renata Bianconi, has always aimed to rekindle the interest of collectors, historians, curators and institutions - national and international - in the Italian art of the second half of the 20th century, which had previously become neglected.

The gallery promotes, among other things, international projects and collaborations.

Featured artists include: Mario Davico, Nanni Valentini, Carlo Zauli, Michele Zaza, Ugo La Pietra, Lucio Fontana.

Kaufmann Repetto

Francesca Kaufmann and Chiara Repetto found this gallery’s current home in 2010, a decade after its launch, designed by architect Frank Boehm. The gallery hosts ambitious exhibitions and installations across a range of media and expressions.

Featured artists: Lily Van der Stokker, Sadie Benning, Gianni Caravaggio, Eva Rothschild, Nicolas Party.

Galleria Carla Sozzani

Since opening in 1990, Galleria Carla Sozzani has showcased the best of national and international photography. Boasting an impressive roster of famous photographers, the gallery complements its programme with a bi-annual exhibition dedicated to architecture, fashion and design.

Featured photographers: Helmut Newton, Annie Leibovitz, Bert Stern.

Viafarini

This non-profit gallery, founded in the early 1990s, focuses on discovering, supporting and promoting young Italian artists. Viafarini not only hosts exhibitions but also film screenings and live performances.

Featured artists: Nazzareno Guglielmi, Leone Contini, Laura Santamaria, Susanna Baumgartner, Marco Belfiore, Barbara De Ponti, Chiara Pergola.

Galleria d’Arte Moderna

A more obvious option than those listed above is Milan’s Gallery of Modern Art. Here you will find masterpieces by some of Milan’s most celebrated artistic sons and daughters, as well as works by international masters.

Featured artists: Francesco Hayez, Marchesi Pompeo, Andrea Appiani, Tranquillo Cremona, Juan Segantini Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, Amadeo Modigliani.

Fondazione Prada

No list would be complete without mentioning the big kahuna of the modern art world: the Prada.

Based in a former gin distillery with an entrance clad in gold leaf and Wes Anderson-designed bar, the building itself is a work of art. As Milan’s largest contemporary gallery space, the Prada celebrates its prominence in the Milanese and global art scene pecking order with permanent exhibitions and temporary projects, most notably The Prada Collection, comprising mostly of works from the 20th and 21st centuries. Largo Isarco 2.

By Catherine Evans